project four - video emulation

"la mente, il cuore"

  Artist Statement:   As human beings, we often find ourselves dwelling over the value of inanimate objects, as opposed to appreciating both the time and labor set forth in a given product's completion. With this sense of blindness, it's common for one to become a bystander to the conditions and sacrifice workers of manufacturing factories may endure to generate such products. As an emulation to Cao Fei's Whose Utopia, la mente, il cuore (the mind, the heart) considers the relationship between an individual's obligations in means of survival, to their personal aspirations. The clocks serve as a constant reminder of time and how the hours of a single day are not sufficient for the completion of one’s objectives (whether obligatory of for leisure), whereas the strands of lights are tangled as a representation of the difficulty  behind deciphering an individual’s priorities. With white-corded lights (the mind) dominant in the composition, it's inevitable that persevering through regulation and routine as a means of survival outweigh individual desires, which are represented by the green-corded lights (the heart). With the two strands being tied together, the phrase "speranza mi da vita" (hope gives me life) serves as the motivation for an individual to endure through such working conditions, as the desire to carry out individual dreams are enough to propel oneself forward.

Inspired by Cao Fei's "Whose Utopia" (2006) Edited with Adobe After Effects CS6 and Final Cut Pro X