Event 3: Delete Me

The third event I attended was the Design Media Art exhibition-"Delete Me". “Delete Me” is an exhibition which features new work from the 2017 graduating M.F.A. class of the UCLA Design Media Arts department. Works span the genres of interactive installation, performance, sculpture, software, sound, print and video work. The theme on its own is intriguing. Deleting something is happening in our everyday life. There are many different forms of deletion. We rub a pink eraser on paper in a clod-handed imitation of handwriting; on a typewriter, deletion is mark-making (XXXX); with film, it’s a razor blade and a trash can. Deletion has always been work – that’s why there are editors. It’s a labor of reclaiming space, creating conditions to begin again. Beginning again means that we have, momentarily, invalidated our past work. We can try again, fail better.

One of the art work that echoes with my experience is the “Shanzhai” exhibition created by Yuehao Jiang. In her self-introductory, she calls herself an image, sound and object maker. Her work explores the intimate relationship between the body, the space, and the recognition.

On this exhibition, her installation explores the extended meaning of Shanzhai ( 山寨, copycat), a Chinese word commonly refers to counterfeit products that imitate well-known brands. The behavior happens very common in Chinese marketplace, and is always condemned. Jiang utilizes techniques such as photogrammetry, 3D rendering and digital fabrication to transform lots of the popular brand into something very similar, but fabricated, counterfeit products. For example, she created a lipstick brand LSK, which is aesthetically similar to YSL. By depiction of the movement, Jiang wants to convey the idea that although the word Shanzhai implies a negative meaning, it carries features of fast renewal speed, indigenized design, vulgarized adaptation, and flexible options. Its ignorance of copyright law and intellectual property rights challenges the monopolized companies who control the full resources over the globalized market. A pair of sneakers mixes the Nike logo with Adidas design symbolize a democratic system that resists against the existing one.

 

The new meaning she discovers in the word enlightened me. Sometimes we are too concerned of what others think of us and our appearance. The brands on their own represent little things, but it’s the society that put too much meanings and judgements on various brands. Though copying other brands’ intellectual property should not be allowed, we should free ourselves from the burden of the brands and the prejudice and pride falling on the brands.

Another artwork that is at the center of the exhibition is called Knicker Twister designed by Lander. Lander is an artist interested in humor, discomfort, play and the absurd. The artwork looks very accord with Lander’s personal interests. The sculpture is in a shape of a tree and it looks very fascinating, but yet absurd. The tree is entirely white, but decorated by coloring neon lights that makes it very shining. There are strings hanging down from the trees attaching different objects to it. There are toys, bottles and even panties, which makes the sculpture more perplexing. In the middle of the tree, there is a screen showing man and women’s twisted bodies. These pictures of adults were continuously being winded and unwind, forming a picture that is unlikely but yet stem from the reality. Throughout the tree, there is a stream of running water in a pipe, running from up and down and reverse, powered by the engine at the bottom of the tree. Also, at the bottom of the tree, there are three rolls of toilet paper in a glass jar.

From my description, one may have a feel of how confused I am at the beginning. To understand the artwork better, I communicated with the artist Lander. He explained that the idea of his work is to explain how people can turn a small issue into a big deal. Everyone can be annoyed by something insignificant, like the toilet rolls in the middle. It is ridiculous yet very true. The twisted human symbolizes how we torture ourselves mentally. The different kinds of objects hanging down from the tree also represent a mixture of feeling. There are toys representing childhood and simplicity, and also panties to show sexuality and sophistication. There are so many different things going on in our everyday life, but we tend to be triggered by little things that arouse flood of emotions. The whole process sounds very absurd, yet very common in everyone’s life.

In conclusion, I found this exhibition very interesting and aesthetically pleasant. The students’ creativity is very valuable and they make the exhibition very welcoming and successful.