艺术家自述
关于《坐天观井》九联屏：
从生看到死，从死回看生;
从天堂看到地狱，从地狱回望天堂;
从开始看到结束，从结束回顾起始。
希罗尼穆斯·博斯的“人间乐园”是一幅三联画，通常的解释是左联是天堂，中联是人间, 右联是地狱。面对这样一张画，我想做两件事情。
第一件事情：通过三维软件将原画由三联画改造为九联画，由一个视点改为七个视点。三个正面屏风的视点与原先的绘画相同，分别看到的是天堂、人间和地狱;其余六个侧面屏风的视点是后加的，在将原画从二维改为三维的场景之后，侧面屏风反映的是从侧面来观看这三个场景，而且把这三个场景联系在了同一个画面上。从天堂越过人间一直看到地狱，反过来也可从地狱回望人间和天堂;从生看到死，从死回看生;从开始看到结束，从结束回顾起始。
第二件事情：将古代的寓言改成现代的寓言。原画场面宏大，人物众多，充满了无数无法解读的细节。也许对于希罗尼穆斯·博斯的同时代人来说，这些比喻都是不言而喻的，而对于身处另一个语境的现代人来说却变得晦涩难懂，扑朔迷离。于是，我想用我这个时代的语言建立新的寓言，用来隐喻我对这个世界的理解和对生与死的看法，也用来代替对另一个时代谜团的刨根问底。
天堂篇
无欲的机器人，
做顺从我们的亚当???
无臂的维纳斯，
无需禁采禁果的禁令!!!
人间篇
上天入地，
时空再造，
四轮车多，
四足马少，
虎狼温驯，
牛羊疯狂。
地狱篇
世界的毁灭，
发生在，
一个键盘之上，
一个按钮之下，
没有时差，
无人可以逃逸。
“坐天观井” 三维动画文字脚本:
1.放大镜
在片头字幕Microcosm中有两个“O” 。Micro中的“O”被用作放大镜，另一个cosm中的“O”被比喻为某个地方，比如说我们居住的星球，并假设，在茫茫宇宙中，从时间和空间的另一端看过来，要放大多少倍，我们的世界才能被发现---我们的诞生才算得上是诞生, 我们的死亡才算得上是死亡，快乐才算是快乐，痛苦才算是痛苦? 山才能显得高，海才能显得深?
2.幸运果
空中有一只手，扔下一只苹果。苹果在半空中被咬掉一口。接着有一堆苹果落下来，有些穿过一些透明状管道，伴随着赌博场角子机在赢钱时的哗哗的硬币掉落声。
一切都是那么幸运,我们恰恰生活在一颗适合生命居住的星球上,就像中了头彩一样。
3.亚当夏娃
我只用了一个三维模型,数码的,男性的。我无法用这一个模型来同时表现天堂中的亚当与夏娃。我想到了机器人：刚强的，不知疲倦的，服从的，任劳任怨的，它无条件地听从我们给它编写的程序与指令;至于夏娃，我想到了卢浮宫中米洛的维纳斯：无臂的维纳斯，无法采摘禁果的维纳斯，这失去了双臂的女人，是否因此而成为了最美丽、最无暇的女人?
之所以做得如此附会，似乎是因为，我不记得夏娃在天堂里还做了哪些事情，只记得她采摘了禁果。我也不记得亚当做过什么事情，只记得他违背了上帝的旨意。
4.颁布指令
人给机器人无数指令，最重要的原则是：机器人必须服从人,否则作为创造者的人甚至有可能没有能力去惩罚作为被创造者的物。
5.两种动物
亚当与夏娃的周围环绕着两种动物;一种是宠物, 被驯化了的猫和狗,在池中的海豚;另一种是人类自己制造的玩具动物,可爱, 毫无危险。
人类在此地球上的位置实在太特殊、太荣耀了，还有一步之遥就能成为这星球上的主宰。能在他身边生活的动物只能是被驯服的、温顺的小狗小猫。老虎狮子大狗熊只能被制成绒毛玩具才能与人共居一室，否则只能被关在笼子里或隔离在保护区里。这多少是有点问题的。
6.长颈鹿
鹿的脖子有长有短。短的可以吃地上的草，长的可以吃树上的叶，各得其所，相安无事，其乐融融，一派天堂景象。长一样长短脖子和同样睿智的人类麻烦就大了，上至太空，下至深海的势力范围，要不断随着力量的彼消此长被一而再、再而三地重新分配。
7.三心二意
一张张写着各种指令的纸条从机器人亚当的手中被分割，缓缓升起，在空中飞舞。时而散落四处，时而连成一片(用不同颜色的纸条相遇调和成同一种色彩来表现)，时而纵横交错如一团乱麻。
人如果作为个体，面对自然、面对其它物种甚至面对其他人，都称不上绝对强大---上不了天，下不了地，皮毛抵御不了严寒酷暑，凶猛不如狮虎，敏捷不如猿猴。只有当人与人沟通思想，团结一心，才会拥有超凡力量。人类用语言为媒介，整合了前人的经验、他民族的智慧、机器的力量，并传递给后代。
8. 饭来张口,衣来伸手
飞鸟在空中被射中,摔落,烤熟,成为盘中美餐。酒杯，足球,节食，瘦身。
如果要我射中一只鸟才能吃上一口肉，那我一定会饿死。我们过着几乎饭来张口的生活，鸡鸭鱼肉从超市购买而来，储存在冰箱之中，随意取用，绝非在野外猎杀捕获而来，亦非亲手圈养而来，我们与自然的距离渐行渐远。
9.四轮车多, 四足马少
“路” 曾叫“马路”，原意应是“马跑的路”。汽车发明之后，马路上跑的就不再是马而是车，于是“马路”改为“车道”。马吃草便能获得动力，车要喝油才跑得起来。石油便成为我们时代的血液，一日不可或缺---我们获得前所未有的速度与舒适的代价之一。
不该在“马路”或“车道”上奔跑的马被撞飞而成碎片。马的心脏变为发动机，碎片组成跑车呼啸而过。
10.终生劳苦
你必终生劳苦，方能从地里得吃的。
--- 《旧约·创世纪》第3章第17节
11.欲望花园
春风吹拂，万物复苏。树影憧憧，人面灼灼。桃红柳绿，花香鸟语。绑架光阴，畅意此时。
镜头紧随蚊子后面飞翔，或高或低，或紧或慢，上下翻飞，左右逢源，直至飞出画面。转场。
12.酸葡萄
透明气泡漂浮水上，人在其中，随波逐流，其间意图抢过另一群人手中的葡萄，未果。
没有得到的葡萄可以被认为是酸葡萄，无需再对它产生欲望。得到的葡萄会被吃掉，消化，变酸，发酵而成为新的一轮欲望的母体。
13.舍身饲鸟
将人变为土豆和黄瓜，再将人形土豆削皮，人形黄瓜切片，被一群饿鸟一抢而空。
动物或蔬果应该不会奋不顾身，愿以自己的生命为代价，提供给人蛋白质或维生素。他们没有佛教信仰，更不愿意为美味爽口而经过蒸炒烹炸的万般磨难。
14.人生如棋
前景为一棋盘,下了一盘又一盘。场景中人物众多，有些人在某处消失，又在某处出现。
人生如棋，变幻不定。人为棋子，冥冥中为某种力量推移，身不由己。无论输赢，只走一盘，下完便完，不可重来也不可悔棋。
15.杀人音乐
在缓缓旋转的唱片下，两个跳舞的人渐渐消失;人群在竖琴中狂舞，被切成碎片，散落一地。 武器能杀人是常识，书本知识和科学技术也能置人于死地。甚至音乐，它也许会调动起来种种狂热的不可控制的情绪，同样能杀人于无形之中。
16.没有时差
多边形时钟上的指针，无论是纽约、巴黎、伦敦，都指向同一时刻，没有时差。
灾难来临之时，全球已无避风港，更无世外桃源，一定会同时面临重创。
17.回收武器
每个物种都有一个杀手锏,温驯如牛羊者尚有犄角可供自卫，何况人类。假如人类制造绝命武器之后，只是放在那儿唬唬人，相互制约一下，之后便当作展品被回收利用或观赏--古代未熔化的冷兵器都在博物馆中陈列展示---那倒还是件不坏的事情，只是耗费了大量的人力物力而已。一旦动武，后果便不堪设想。只怕人类消化不掉，承担不起，收拾不了。动画中炸弹上的刀叉，破碎了的瓷盘，贴有环保标志的垃圾桶，都是种种与上述担忧有关的意象。
18.有恃无恐
一辆辆坦克隆隆驶过，枪声大作。坦克上有拳师打出李小龙式组合拳，坦克前面有拳师饮弹身亡，坦克间有拳师踢起秀腿。骷髅跳起，死神降临。
人想拥有某种内力或外力以抵御强敌。在古代要练就一身好功夫，便能笑傲江湖，无敌天下。现代则需拥有各种尖端武器，方能警察世界，对立各国。只是这种能力需要一再被进化，否则便会如动画片中站在坦克上的拳师，英勇无畏却无济于事。
19.死神舞蹈
骷髅在手提笔记本电脑上舞蹈。
在古代，要毁灭这个星球上的所有文明，需要经历极其漫长的过程，我们似乎可以乐观地认为这几乎不可能，那是阶段的，局部的，可以被修复的。而现在，要毁灭这个星球上的所有人类，只要动动手指、按下几个按钮就可以了，我们似乎可以悲观地认为，只要这个程序被启动，便几乎无可挽回，那是永久的，全面的，无法被修复的。
20.逃之夭夭
巨大的纪念碑式的头像看着一架军用飞机飞过。
毁灭的前提常常假设为毁灭者可以在毁灭之前逃离毁灭。
21.玉石俱焚
救火队员头顶灭火器、在烈焰中奋力奔跑。一幢幢摩天大楼纷纷倾塌。电视机洗衣机冰箱烤箱微波炉键盘艺术品溃败一地，狼藉一片。救火队员以身殉职，绘画摔落，机器烧毁，玉石俱焚。
文明可以毁于一旦。拯救的力量可能如杯水车薪。
22.空空如也
冰箱门打开，掉下最后一只苹果。冰箱门反弹再打开，苹果被撞一凹坑，摔落在地，被一只手拾起，收回。一堆空空如也的冰箱如墓碑矗立，冰箱门在风中来回拍打如丧钟敲响。
一堆冰块相互挤压，冰中隐隐有骷髅显现。婴儿的三声啼哭。三个航天器发射升空。
23.最后晚餐
第一个航天器里有一个蛋，蛋上有13个人, 动作形态根据达·芬奇的“最后晚餐”向后作环状排开。如果一字排开，便会重现达·芬奇的排列方式。所有人缩进蛋壳，消失。
生命曾先后产生，将一同毁灭。
24.诺亚方舟
第二、第三个航天器里搭载动物与植物。
假设地球被毁，我们要去寻找另一个家园。这时宇宙飞船便如同现代版的诺亚方舟，它可以搭载多少人?谁有资格逃离?要搭载多少动物去另一个星球为人类制造蛋白质?要运载多少植物去另一个星球为人类制造氧气?
25.生生死死
在我诞生之初，我对生一定是有极为强烈的感受的，但我尚无能力记录下这种感受。当我学会了断文识字，遣词造句，表情达意，那已是离出生近十年之后的事情了，生命之初的喜悦似乎早已淡忘。之后我学习了用文字之外的其它语言---绘画、摄影和动画---表达我的所思所想，但四十五岁的我对生命之初的感受已没有了一丝一毫的记忆。这是回望生，我曾经历过的。如果要我描绘出诞生之初十秒钟内的经历与感受，除了胡编乱造已别无它法。
再想想死：我没经历过的，我也只能胡思乱想，道听途说而已。在临死前后十秒钟，我一定对死有极为深刻的理解，智慧如哲人。但我已没有时间用已掌握的文字的或艺术的手段将其记录下来，恐怕都无力哭出泪、笑出声。
于是我确信我这辈子将只是对生与死作出种种臆测，而绝无可能表达出最深刻、最真切的感受。推己及人，这也是自古至今所有伟大的思想家、哲学家、艺术家面临的共同难题。我们不满意所有关于生与死的解释，我们依旧在孜孜探求。
文字用来狡辩，艺术用来矫情。生只是生，那是一瞬间的事情，它与艺术无关;死只是死，那也是一瞬间的事情，它也与艺术无关。
配音：
配音由三个声道组成。
第一部分音乐由扬颂格·卡奇兹(Jansug Kakhidze)指挥、格鲁吉亚第比利斯交响乐团(Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra)演奏的瓦格纳(Wagner)《唐豪塞》序曲(Tannhauser. Overture)。我做配乐时正值格鲁吉亚爆发战争(2008年8月)，于是我把作曲家、指挥和演奏乐团的名字都写在了动画中缓缓旋转的一张唱片上作为纪念。
我不改变瓦格纳的音乐的节奏，速度和旋律。我一直在心里想，我的图像要与他的音乐势均力敌，不要被它切碎、扰乱、摧垮。如果我能做到这一点，我便相信我的图像也已经足够强大。所以，与其说这是配音，还不如说这是对抗，并在对抗中达到某种平衡。
第二部分混入各种杂音，有的与动画中的情节有关，以烘托气氛;有的与动画中的情节无关，为表达某种寓意特意而为。
第三部分是自始至终不停敲击着的键盘声，一是表现这都是在一个虚拟世界里发生的事情，也许在某种程度上映射了现实世界，过去的、现在的和未来的;二是我和我整个团队的工作状态：天天在电脑前敲击键盘，春夏秋冬，白昼黑夜，力图将不可见的变为可见的，无声的变为有声的。
新旧媒介
用新的媒介做艺术作品，其表现形态与传统艺术媒介肯定是不同了。我想，新旧媒介之间并非是你死我活、非此即彼的关系，也许可以有更深层意义上的传递与继承。我可以用数码手段去回应艺术史上曾出现的一定形式，有些许相似之处，但它骨子里又是截然不同的了。
比如，我一直想画水墨画，但一直未找到一种形式，现在找到了。利用数码水墨的方式，我可以把极其精确的描绘和泼墨写意的手法结合在一个画面里。以前如果要精细描绘，则必定会选择绢或熟宣纸，这不利于写意;如果选择写意画法，则会选择生宣纸，这就意味着无法用细如蚕丝的线条来描写物体的轮廓，熊掌与鱼不可得兼。现在则可以在两者之间游走，这是很令我兴奋不已的。
更令我兴奋的是，这种可能性还可以不断继续。需要的只是时间和精力，还有足够的热情。
三维数码水墨
对线条的痴迷也许源自于中国传统绘画。虽然几乎所有民族的艺术都经历过用线作为主要表达手段的阶段,但似乎中国的传统绘画更强调线的无与伦比的表现力，因为它是如此简洁但又如此本质地表达出了世间万物。
自二零零五年以来的三年多的时间里，我天天面对电脑，看着助手们用三维软件制作结构线建起一个个三维模型并用这些模型构造一个三维虚拟世界,由点构成线，由线构成面，再进而渲染成看似真实的物体。有一天我想，何不直接用这些结构线来创作一件作品呢?这些结构线描述的是物体的外轮廓，非常本质，又极具形式美。尤其让我兴奋的是，我可以将这些数据打印在宣纸上，获得一种类似传统线描的美感，但又不是用传统的毛笔和墨，而是用现代的打印机和喷墨。
与传统线描的不同之处在于：传统线描只是描绘看得见的某一部分物体的轮廓，对于看不见、处于背面的物体则不去也无需描绘。
由于软件与电脑计算的方式所致，所有物体的轮廓线都会被表现出来，哪怕这些轮廓线在背面，哪怕它被某个物体所掩蔽，这便使画面具有了某种透明立体的效果：即使人物头像处于侧面位置，观众也一定能够同时看到两只眼睛，而不仅仅只看到一只眼睛。这颇有点立体主义的味道，很能让人想起毕加索把两只眼睛画在一个侧面画像上的理由，只不过在电脑和软件看来，这是再理所当然不过的事情了，无需任何理由与主义，而是一种必需!
于是传统线描的美感、上世纪初的立体主义、本世纪初的技术手段不期而遇，碰撞到一起!
素描
素描原是用来研究自然形态，研究画面构图等等。基于此，它表现出某种即兴性和不完整性，经常在正式作品完成之后便会被丢弃。只是到了现代，我们慢慢意识到，它也可能成为一种独立的表现形式。
在我这儿，素描已经没有功能上的必要，而只有表现上的必须。既然面对自然世界我们可以画出一张素描，那么面对虚拟世界，我们也可以画出一张素描，只不过这个过程是逆推出来的。每张素描都带有电脑工作框，表明这是先在电脑中成形，之后才画成素描，而不是先画素描，然后才成形。这使得我的素描与传统意义上的素描截然相反，虽然它们在表面上使用了相同的工具---钢笔或铅笔。
刺绣
用三维软件做作品时，首先面对的是网格线，由线来组成面。为了区别不同物体，分别用不同的颜色显示。这些五颜六色、色彩斑斓的网格线天天在我眼前晃悠，尤其当几种色彩的线条重重叠叠交织在一起的时候，它像极了刺绣。有一天我终于下定决心，把它们用传统手工刺绣的方式固定下来。
我不知道电脑已在多大程度上取代了手工，但最起码，我在这些刺绣作品中用这种方式使得电脑与手工紧密合作了一次。只是辛苦了刺绣女工，要把电脑生成的网格线全部绣出来，那是非常耗费时间与精力的。
雕塑
既然我的工作全都是用三维软件完成的，那就意味着只要寻找一个合适的输出手段，它们就会从虚拟的三维形态变为真实的三维形态---也就是传统意义上的雕塑，这就是立体打印技术。原本设计为工业建模之用，我想也完全可以用于艺术。
它的迷人之处我尚未全部发掘, 但我知道这是绝对值得花力气去实验的。
Artist’s Statements
About Microcosm - 9-panel installation:
To see death from birth, and birth from death;
To see hell from heaven, and heaven from hell;
To see the end from the beginning, and the beginning from the end.
The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch is a triptych. It is commonly recognized that the left wing represents heaven, the central panel earth, and the right wing hell. Facing such a painting, I would like to do two things:
First: remoulding the original triptych into a nine-panel painting, and remoulding one perspective into seven perspectives using three-dimensional software. The three front panels have the same perspective as the original painting where heaven, earth and hell are shown. The other six side panels are added to show further perspectives. After remoulding the two-dimensional painting into a three-dimensional scene, the side panels reflect various perspectives by examining the original three scenes, now linked together on the same dimension, from different viewpoints. From heaven, surpassing earth, one can directly see hell, and from hell one can also look back at earth and heaven; from birth we see death, and from death we look back at birth; from the beginning we view the end, and from the end we review the beginning.
Second: remoulding an ancient fable into a modern fable. The original painting shows a spectacular scene with numerous characters, and it is depicted with countless details which cannot easily be interpreted. Maybe for Hieronymus Bosch's contemporaries, all of these details were explicitly obvious. Yet for modern people who are situated in a different context, these details appear obscure, bewildering and confusing. Thus, I would like to use our modern language to create a new allegory, to metaphorically express my views about the world, my understandings of existence and death, and this is an alternative way of digging into the roots of mysteries belonging to other times.
Paradise
Desireless robot,
Will you be our obedient Adam???
Armless Venus,
Finds the forbiddance to pick the forbidden fruit needless!!!
Earth
Heavens and earth reformed,
Time and space transformed,
Four-wheel cars everywhere,
Four-foot horses nowhere,
Tigers and wolves tamed,
Cattle and sheep crazed.
Hell
The doom of the world,
Occurs，
At a press of a button,
On a piece of keyboard,
No time difference,
No one can escape.
Microcosm - 3D computer animation script
1. Magnifying glass
There are two “O”s in the opening caption “Microcosm”. The “O” in Micro is used as a magnifying glass, and the “O” in cosm is a symbol for some place, for example, the earth that we live in. It represents that among the boundless universe, looking from another perspective of space and time, how many times do we have to magnify it, so that our own world can be found ---Is our birth really birth, our death really death, happiness really happiness, and pain really pain? How many times do we have to magnify it, so that mountains appear high, and oceans deep?
2. Lucky fruit
A hand hanging in the air drops an apple. One piece of the apple was bitten off mid-air. Then a pile of apples fell from the sky, some went through transparent channels with the noise of coins falling from slot machines when you win in casinos.
We are all very lucky to be living on a planet that is suitable for human beings, just like we have won the lottery.
3. Adam and Eve
I only used one three-dimensional model, digital, male. There is no way for me to use this one model to represent both Adam and Eve from heaven at the same time. Robots came to my mind: strong, tireless, obedient, doing all kinds of hard work without any complaints; they obey our written programs and commands unconditionally. For Eve, I though of Venus de Milo in Louvre Museum: armless Venus who cannot reach for the forbidden fruit. She lost her arms, would this woman then become the most beautiful and most innocent woman in the world because of that?
The reason why I made such a seemingly unrelated representation is that I do not remember what else Eve did in heaven other than she picked the forbidden fruit. I do not remember what Adam did as well, only that he violated God’s will.
4. Giving orders
Human beings give countless commands to the robot. The most important principle is: the robot must obey human beings; otherwise, as creators, human beings might not have the capabilities to punish the robot which is being created.
5. Two kinds of animals
Two kinds of animals surround Adam and Eve; one kind is pets, tamed cats and dogs, dolphins swimming in the pool; another kind is furry toy animals created by human beings, cute, without any dangers at all.
The role of human beings on earth is too special and too honorable; we are only one step away from being the ruler of this planet. Only tamed animals are allowed to be around human beings, such as docile puppies and kittens. For tigers, lions and bears, they can only be close to humans once they are made into furry toys; otherwise, they can only be locked in cages or put away in a protection zone. This is somewhat a problem.
6. Giraffes
Some giraffes have long necks and some have short ones. Those with short necks can eat grass on the ground, and those with long necks can eat leaves from trees. They all get what they want, so they live together harmoniously without any conflicts: what a great picture of heaven. Unfortunately, there is more trouble for humans who have necks of the same length and intelligence of the same level. From outer space to deep underwater, power and regions are being redistributed once and again according to the ever growing or weakening power of different countries.
7. Half-hearted
Pieces of papers with written commands are separated from Robot Adam’s hands; they rise to the sky and start to dance mid-air. Sometimes papers are scattered all over the place; sometimes they are connected to one piece (represented by different colored papers connect with each other and turn into the same color); and sometimes papers fall in an unordered manner creating a mess.
As an individual, one human being would not be considered strong in absolute terms when facing the nature, other species, even other human beings – humans cannot fly into the sky, dive into the underground; our skin and hair are not adequate for cold winters and hot summers. We are not as fierce as lions and tigers, not as agile as monkeys. Only when humans communicate with each other and stay united that we can have extraordinary powers. Humans use language as a kind of media to accumulate experiences from previous generations, wisdom of other ethnic groups and powers of machines; those are all passed on to later generations.
8. Be waited on hand and foot
A flying bird is shot midair; it falls, cooked and becomes delicious food within plates. Wine glass, football, diet, losing weight.
If I have to shoot a bird in order to get a taste of meat, I would for sure starve to death. We live a life with extremely easy access to food; we buy chicken, duck, fish and meat from the supermarket and store them in the refrigerator. We can have them as we wish. We do not capture those animals by hunting, nor do we feed them or raise them in our backyards. We are getting further and further away from the nature.
9. Four-wheel cars everywhere, four-foot horses nowhere
“Road” used to be called “horse road” in Chinese, and the original definition is “road for horses to run”. Since the invention of automobiles, cars run on streets instead of horses, therefore, “horse road” was changed into “street for vehicles”. Horses gain their strength from eating grass, but cars have to eat oil to run. Oil then became the blood of our generation, and we cannot live without it for one day --- a price we have to pay to acquire the speed and comfort we have never experienced.
The horse that should not have run on the “horse road” or “street for vehicles” is hit and being splattered into pieces. The heart of the horse became an engine, its pieces combined into a “BMW” sports car which gone off with the speed of wind.
10. Lifetime hard work
In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
--- Genesis 3：17
11. Garden of earthly delights
Spring wind blows, and all creatures come alive. Trees sway; people’s faces glow. Pink peaches and green willows; fragrant flowers and singing birds. This is the most joyful time, and I wish I could kidnap time.
The camera follows the mosquito closely, sometimes flying high and sometimes low; sometimes slow and sometimes fast. It flies up and down, left and right until it flies out of the scene. Transition.
12. Sour grapes
A transparent bubble is flowing on the water; people sit amid flowing with the water. One of them is trying to grab grapes from another group of people, unsuccessful.
Grapes not acquired can be considered sour grapes, and there should not be desire for it anymore. Grapes acquired will be eaten, digested, turned sour, fermented and became the carrier of a new round of desire.
13. Sacrificing to feed birds
Humans are turned into potato and cucumber, and the human-shaped potato is being peeled and cucumber being sliced; a flock of hungry birds swiftly took all slices. Animals, vegetables and fruits are probably not that willing to sacrifice themselves to provide proteins and vitamins for humans. They are not Buddhists and they are not willing to suffer from baking, frying, steaming or stewing just to become delicious.
14. Life is like a chess game
A chessboard is situated in the foreground, and one game is played after another. There are numerous figures in the scene, some are disappearing somewhere and reappearing somewhere else.
Life is like a chess game full of changes and uncertainties. Humans are like chessmen, and they are being pushed by a certain power without their own control. Either you win or lose, there is only one game for you. You will leave after the game, and there are no re-matches or re-placing of chessman.
15. Killer music
With the album slowly spinning, two dancing people disappear gradually; cluster of people dance wildly inside the harp, and they are being cut into pieces and scattered on the floor. Weapons can kill people; knowledge from books and science & technology can also make people die. Even music, it might mobilize all kinds of passionate and uncontrollable emotions that could kill people without their realizing it.
16. No time difference
Either it is New York, Paris or London, the clock hands of the polygonal clock point at the same time, there is no difference in time.
When catastrophes come, there is no harbor of refugee in the world; there are no utopian places; everyone faces disasters at the same time.
17. Recycling weapons
Every species has a killer tool, even tamed cows and goats have horns to protect themselves; of course humans would also have such tools. If humans produce devastating weapons just to threaten and contain each other, and those weapons are being recycled or put in exhibitions – non-explosive weapons from ancient times are being exhibited in museums – then it is not a bad thing; it is just that we consumed a lot of manpower and resources. However, once we start a war, there will be unimaginable consequences. Humans will not be able to face and handle such consequences, let alone cleaning the mess up. In the animation, the knife and fork on bombs, the broken porcelain plate, and the garbage bin with environmental protection signs are all images related to the above concerns.
18. Fear nothing with a strong backing
Tanks drove by loudly one after another, and guns firing non-stop. Kung-fu masters on the tank are doing Bruce Lee’s moves; other kung-fu masters die in front of the tank; there are also other kung-fu masters doing side kicks. Skeletons jump and death comes.
Humans wish to have some sort of internal power or external power to fight strong enemies. In ancient times, if you had good kung-fu skills, then you had no enemies. In modern times, you have to have all kinds of sophisticated weapons in order to police the whole world and confront other countries. This kind of power needs continuous upgrades; otherwise, just like the kung-fu masters standing on tanks in this animation: they are just brave but useless.
19. Dance of Death
Skeletons dance on the notebook computer.
In ancient times, to destroy all civilizations on this planet requires an extremely long process; and we could almost optimistically believe that the destruction would never happen. It could only be a phase, in some regions and can be recovered. However, nowadays, to destroy all human kind on this planet only requires the movement of a few fingers and a few buttons. We can almost pessimistically believe that once the program is activated, there is no way back. It is permanent, full-scale and irreversible.
20. Escape
A gigantic monument-like head portrait sees a military aircraft flying by.
The precondition of destruction is usually that the destructor can escape before the destruction happens.
21. Total destruction of all
A firefighter is trying his best to run with a fire extinguisher on his head. Sky scrapers are collapsing one after another. Televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, keyboards, and artworks are all over the place creating a major mess. The firefighter is sacrificing his life; paintings falling off; machines destroyed, a total destruction of good and bad and everything.
Civilization can be destroyed in one second. The power to save it is minimal.
22. All Empty
The refrigerator door opens, and one last apple falls from it. The refrigerator door rebounds and reopens; the apple falls on the ground and it was picked up by another hand. A bunch of empty refrigerators stand like tombstones, and refrigerator doors are opening and closing in the wind just like the death knell.
A pile of ice cubes are squished together and skeletons appear in a subtle way. There are three baby cries as the background noise. Three spacecrafts rocket into the sky.
23. The Last Supper
There is an egg inside the first spaceship, and there are 13 people on the egg. Their movements and gestures are arranged in a ring shape somewhat according to da Vinci’s The Last Supper. If those people are arranged in one row, it would be an exact replication of da Vinci’s artwork. All people shrink into the eggshell and disappear.
People are born in different times, yet they are destroyed at the same time.
24. Noah’s Ark
The second and third spaceships contain animals and plants.
Assume that the earth is destroyed, and we have to find another homeland. Here, the spaceship can be considered a modern version of the Noah’s Ark; how many people can it carry? Who is qualified to go away? How many animals shall we bring to another planet in order to provide protein for humans? How many plants shall we bring to another planet to make oxygen for humans?
25. Birth and Death
At the beginning of my birth, I must have strong feelings about life, but I was not capable of recording such feelings. When I finally learned to read, make sentences and express my feelings, it is already ten years later and I have already forgotten all the joy at the beginning of life. Then I learned to use languages other than words --- painting, photography and animations --- to express my thoughts, but the forty-five-year old me have no whatsoever memory of my birth. This is looking back at birth, something that I have experienced. If I am asked to describe the experience and feeling that I have within the 10 seconds of birth, I have no other ways to do so except to make up stories.
About death: I have never experienced it, and all I get is hearsay and imaginary feelings. Within the 10 seconds before death, I must have profound understandings about death; I must be as wise as a philosopher. However, I do not have the time to use words or artistic means to record it; I probably do not even have the strength to cry or laugh.
Thus I am certain that I can only make all kinds of assumptions about birth and death in my whole life, and there is absolutely no way for me to express the deepest and most genuine feelings. To put other people in my shoes, this is a common problem that all thinkers, philosophers and artists face since ancient times. We are not satisfied with the definitions of birth and death, so we are still exploring tirelessly.
Words are for quibble, and art is for affectation. Birth is birth, it is a matter of one moment, and it has nothing to do with art; death is just death, it is also a matter of one moment, and it has nothing to do with art as well.
Background music:
Background music is composed with three tracks.
The first part is Wagner’s Tannhauser Overture conducted by Jansug Kakhidze and played by Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra. When I was doing the background music, a war in Georgia started, so I put the names of the composer, the conductor and the orchestra on a slowing spinning album in the animation to memorialize them.
I did not change the tempo, speed and melody of Wagner’s music. I was always thinking that my images have to be as strong as his music, and they cannot be separated, disturbed or destructed by his music. If I can do this, then I believe that my images are strong and intense enough. Therefore, rather than calling this “background music”, it is probably more appropriate to call it confrontation and reaching some kind of balance in this confrontation.
The second part is all kinds of noises; some are related to the scenes in the animation to create an atmosphere; some are not related to the scenes, they are specially made to express a specific meaning.
The third part is non-stop keyboard clicking sounds from the start to the end. One part of this is to show that all of the things are happening in a virtual reality; maybe it reflects the real world, the past, the current and the future to some extent. Another part is to show the working condition of me and my whole team: we sit in front of the computer clicking keyboards everyday, all seasons, and day after night in order to turn the invisible into visible, and soundless into sounds.
Old and new media
The expression form of works done by new media is different from that of traditional ones. I think the relation between the traditional and new media is not necessarily that we have to choose one against another, but there could be inheritance and further development. I can reproduce a form in the art history by digital means. Outwardly, there may be some similarities between the two, but inside they are worlds apart.
For example, I am always interested in Chinese ink painting, but I didn’t find a way to work it out in computer until now. By digital ink, the Chinese ink painting features both delicate drawing and freehand splash. Previously, delicate drawing required thin silk or rice paper with alum coating, which is not good for freehand splash; splash brushwork, on the other hand, chose unprocessed rice paper, on which you are unable to outline the object with exquisite lines. You can not sell the cow and drink the milk. The digital ink, however, makes that possible, driving me excited.
What makes me even more exhilarated is that this possibility can go on continuously. .It only requires energy, time and enough enthusiasm.
3D digital Ink and Wash Painting
My obsession with “Line” is perhaps rooted in the high regard I hold for traditional Chinese painting. Nearly all the collective art experiences from around the world have at some point gone through a stage in which “line” constitutes the dominant form of expression. However, with traditional Chinese painting it seems that far more emphasis is placed on the incomparable expressive power of the line, because it is at the same time so concise yet it can eloquently express the essence of anything in its totality.
For the past three years since 2005, I have sat in front of my computer every day, working with my assistants using 3D software to build models and using all these models to construct a 3D virtual world. Points are connected to form a line, then lines to form a surface, and then the whole thing is re-rendered into a seemingly real object. Then one day I thought ‘why not use the lines directly to make an art work?’ These lines depict the contours of an object’s fundamental shape and also reveal the beauty of form. I am particularly excited about printing these lines on Xuan paper in order to simulate the beauty of traditional line drawing, but achieving it with a modern inkjet printer and ink instead of using a traditional Chinese brush and ink.
3D drawings differ from the traditional line drawings because the latter depict only the visible aspect, as it would be seen from the viewer’s perspective. Anything that is obstructed from view or not directly in the viewer’s line of sight is not necessarily shown. Whereas objects in 3D line drawings are, in effect, transparent as the viewer can gaze through them to what is behind them.
Because of the nature of software and computer calculations used in 3D drawing, all the contours of the objects are visible, regardless if they are at the back of an object or concealed behind other objects. This yields a transparent and three-dimensional appearance. Even with a face in profile, viewers will be able to see both eyes, not just the one on the side of the viewer. This, in a way carries a taste of Cubism, reminiscent of Picasso’s paintings, portraying both eyes on the same side of a profile portrait. But for computers and software, all this is just a matter of course; there is no requisite reason or –ism, it is purely something essential.
The beauty of traditional line drawing, Cubism from the early last century and technological wonders of the 21st century encounter unexpectedly, running into each other!
Drawing
Originally, drawing is a study of natural form and structure. In that case, the improvisation and incompleteness of drawing will be discarded after the work is done. Nowadays, however, we come to realize that drawing can also be an independent expression.
In my work, drawing is only necessary in expression instead of function. Now that we can draw a picture facing the natural world, we can do the same in the virtual world. The only difference is that it is a process of retroaction in the latter case. Every sketch has a computer diaphragm around it which indicates that the image is formed in the computer before being drawn, so that my drawing is opposite to the traditional ones, despite of using the same tool- a pen or a pencil.
Embroidery
When 3D software is used to make a piece of work, the first step is to form a surface by gridlines. Different colours distinguish various objects. With colorful gridlines changing before my eyes, especially when lines of different color lap over each other, the image is just like the embroidery. One day I made up my mind to fix the variably colored gridlines in accordance with traditional forms of hand embroidery.
I am not clear to what extent has the computer replaced handicraft. But at least in the above way, my embroidery combines the computer with handicraft. The work is quite time-consuming and energy-consuming, because the women workers have to embroider all the gridlines generated by the computer.
Sculpture
The fact that all my works are done by 3D software means that, with a proper output way, all virtual 3D forms can become real—the sculpture in traditional meaning. This is 3D printing technology, used to be applied to industrial modeling, which I think can also serve arts.
I did not discover all charms of this idea completely yet, but I am convinced that it absolutely deserves further experiment.
【编辑：小红】
