Video: fish in my uterus

I also produced few creative videos which reflects my thoughts after those interviews. I haven’t experienced pregnancy yet and this video “fish in my stomach” is my imaginary history of my pregnancy experience.

Interviews

I interviewed four women.

They are in different stages of a woman’s life.

The youngest one, Maze,  just started to have her period, Sylvia is pregnant for her first time,  Mrs. Chan has given birth to two children, and Mrs. Kwok’s period has already ended four years ago.

I think these are significant stages which a woman would experience. These body experiences are so intimate and so important, but we may not hear them. I would like to let these little gentle mouths telling their very inside stories.

Revised-2-Research-theoretical-text

SM4140 Graduation Thesis

Name : Chan Kwun Yee, arfee (ID : 50692653)

Project title : “Body-landscape”

Advisor : Prof. Linda Lai

Research-theoretical-text

History is assumed to be based on facts and in the form of a coherent story. But I want to argue that facts and fiction are not always separable, and history is full of contradictions. In my project, I use maps, a spatial form, to subvert the simplifying single-line chronological conception of history.

The whole project has gone through several versions and there were lots of changes but the core thesis remained unchanged and I will discuss later in the text about the significance of changes along the journey.

Versions gone through：

- 1^st version： “Floating City, an Imaginary Landscape”;

- 2^nd version：“The Cartographer”;

- 2^nd 1/2 version：“A Journey’s Map, a Mapping Journey”;

- 3^rd version：“Body Landscape”.

History consists of fabrications and contradictions/

History is not a neutral account of past events

Inspired by works like Xixi’s My City, Oscar Ho’s Hong Kong Stories and 董啟章’s 天工開物．栩栩如真, in which compile an alternative writing of the city’s story, I concerned about fabrication components of history.

History appears as a form of narrative description of past events and was thought to be based on facts and authentic materials. However, the concept of “facts” is problematic. The assumption of “facts” holds an essentialist concept which suggests that, there is a reality which exists independent of, beneath or beyond, language and ideology. I want to argue that, ‘reality’ cannot be independent of ‘subjects’ who perceive it and the way one narrates it. Thus there are only multi-realities and they are unstable. And so, ‘who speaks’ and ‘how to speak’ is as important as ‘what to speak’.

Based on this query, I put my research area on the narratives and representations about Hong Kong’s stories created by artists instead of studying “historical records”. My approach first challenged the concept of ‘reality’ by accepting fabricated stories as a source of authentic materials.

History as narration

Collected the narratives, I then put them into a virtual-map-archive for audience to visit. The use of a form a map will be further discussed in later section. Here, I would like to address that this creative intervention also responds to the previous arguments built. My intervention is a composition of a new narrative based on the collected narratives. Hence, it could be considered as a second layer of narrative, which is self-reflexive and re-emphasizing that history itself is never a neutral presentation of facts but always a representation under a context.

As the research area is about famous artists and well-known works, the biases, personal point of views and frames of the authors are obvious rather than being invisible.

As the project morphed, the research area shifted but caught the same focus in the critical thinking of history-making.

I carried on the doubt of subject matter, and tried to map another issue: female bodily experience of their uterus. This pushes one step further, concerning what should be written in history. In feminist view of history, there are many issues ignored and under-discussed under the patriarchal ideology, which tends to think in a dualist way and de-power one of the duals. For example, “masculine” is superior than “feminine”, and “body” is considered “feminine” in contrast to “ration” is considered “masculine”. So here, I took bodily experience as a subject which worth to be written into history, and it actually is a deviant act to “his-story”. Bodily experience was not thought to be appropriate as historical record, since it is not “objective”. But rooted from discussion above, I have argued that, there is no independent reality and thus, females’ recalling of their own bodily experience of uterus is not less trustable than a government’s document about the changes of politics.

In writing history, historians based on their observations on the critical examination and selection of sources and synthesize them into a self-stand narrative.

History is ambiguous. There are authors. It is not objective truth. à intend to identify the “authors” or “protagonists” rather than being invisible.

Via visualizing the collected Hong Kong’s narratives in a virtual map-archive, the chronological convention of history-writing is broken down, whereas spatial relationships arise. The virtual-map-archive encourages a new understanding of history-writing which abandons any simple causal relationships and simplifying single-line narrative with the strong juxtaposition form. And the reading of such spatial-history-narrative is like a flâneur wandering in an imaginary space.

Time-based history and space-based maps

History is a time-based narrative, it often appears in a chronological form. Such chronological convention offers a easy way to read and seems to be neat and tidy. However, it is not without implications. The chronological convention assumes things happened to be in a causal relationship and it is deterministic. (historical materialism/ determinism) It over-simplifies the world and appears in an excuse that : makes the story easy to tell. In moving images, there have been arguments from Deleuze to challenge such concept. And in history-making, Michel Foucault has also pointed out that

Using a spatial form as a tactic to subvert the chronological convention is political, whereas it provides constellations of narratives rather than causal linearity. (~ tableaux vivant > Hollywood : progression ) There is a rejection to story comprehension tradition with over emphasis on progression and through the form of a 2D plane, I aim to explore a multi-focus narrative strategy and thus, the work encourages active reading.

Map as spatial narrative

Possibilities of map as spatial narrative

- sequence of images

- constellation of elements

How to deal with human experience

- fabrication of history, experimental history, post-modern history writing

- history as narratives, ambiguity and open-ness of history

- ethnography

a spatial form (2D)

- mapping, cartography, geography

my intention

- subversions of grand narratives (mapping those were not considered to be mapped):

- (in 1^st version) research on “stories” which are not considered as “historical records”,

- (in 2^nd version) maps based on personal experience,

- (in 2^nd version) intend to map areas being ignored,

- (in 3^rd version) personal bodily experience as landscape to be mapped. (maps tend to show something more “permanent”, “general”, “shared/public places”)

- binary positions breaking

- personal – public

- stories, fabrications – history, truth

- flourish – permanent

- micro – macro

- subjective – objective

- metaphor : body ~ landscape

-

Mapping as a method to intervene a place/ history

(seems better to use “mapping” than “cartography”)

(what word is more appropriate than “history”?)

mapping as ethnography

Research-theoretical-text

M4140 Graduation Thesis

Name : Chan Kwun Yee, arfee (ID : 50692653)

Project title : “Body-landscape”

Advisor : Prof. Linda Lai

Research-theoretical-text

Structure of the text

- 1 sentence brief about the project

-

History is assumed to be based on facts and in the form of a coherent story. But I want to argue that facts and fiction are not always separable, and history is full of contradictions. In my project, I use maps, a spatial form, to XXX the concept of chronological history.

my start point :

Curious and concern about how to deal with (research, study, analyze and represent) human experience(history?), in a spaital form (2D)

History

- fabrication of history, experimental history, post-modern history writing

- history as narratives, ambiguity and open-ness of history

- ethnography

- chronology, time based

a spatial form (2D)

- mapping, cartography, geography

my intention

- subversions of grand narratives (mapping those were not considered to be mapped):

- (in 1^st version) research on “stories” which are not considered as “historical records”,

- (in 2^nd version) maps based on personal experience,

- (in 2^nd version) intend to map areas being ignored,

- (in 3^rd version) personal bodily experience as landscape to be mapped. (maps tend to show something more “permenant”, “general”, “shared/public places”)

- binary positions breaking

- personal – public

- stories, fabrications – history, truth

- flourish – permenant

- micro – macro

- subjective – objective

- metaphor : body ~ landscape

- d

Combining history and geography

Mapping as a method to intervene a place/ history

(seems better to use “mapping” than “cartography”)

(what word is more appropriate than “history”?)

mapping as ethnography

Map as a narrative form

- sequential images : 拓背圖

- multi-focus in one single image : 子宮們的曼陀羅

Project Report

SM4140 Graduation Thesis

Name : Chan Kwun Yee, arfee (ID : 50692653)

Project title : “Body-landscape”

Advisor : Prof. Linda Lai

Project Report

1^st version : “Floating City, an Imaginary Landscape”

- research on narratives and representations, for instance literature work (e.g. Xixi’s My City) and film work (e.g. Fruit Chan’s movies) of Hong Kong’s story(s)

my thoughts :

- history itself is narrative, representation.

- Question of historical resources : authentical? Truth? Records?

My intervention :

- blurring the dualist position : history-stories

- research on narratives : question of “objective”, “real”

- visualize the collected Hong Kong’s narratives in a virtual map

- link up the narratives with “places”

- for audience : to discover Hong Kong’s stories (an imaginary Hong Kong) in an imaginary landscape

- emphasize on “spatial narratives”. Using spatial methods rather than emphasizing the time-dimension/ chronology which normally used in history-making

literature review : Power of maps, The others histories

Knowledge learnt from SCM acquired

- research work (cultural studies, ethnography)

-

Problems encountered and focus-shifted

- too large scale of research area and lack of research focus

-

2^nd version : “The Cartographer”

Subject matter

- invisible places of Hong Kong (“invisible” means those are not being awared, like abandoned)

- places which called no attention to Hong Kong people, or rarely emphasized in maps as they are not “useful”

-

-

- more S. I. like

- drifting as tactics

Work done

1. mapping/ drifting exercise
2. an experiment of map-making : personal Hong Kong map, eliminating

literature review : Power of maps, Cartography

3^rd version : “Body Landscape”

Subject matter

- bodily experience

- micro-level, personal

- actually same concern as in the 2^nd version : concerning places that are not being awared, noticed, talked about but I think needed to be discussed, brought to the light

-

Map(a) : fe/male bodies, boundary or connection

- time dimension of a map

-

Map(b) : 拓背圖

- 拓印 instead of projection

- abstract, low reconizability

Map(c) : 子宮的曼陀羅

- visual realization of 4 women’s bodily experience by 1 author

- fabrication/ fictional components emphasized

- imaginary map (a place that doesn’t exist physically/ geographically)

- perspective : like chinese paintings

discoveries

(cultural level)

Map(a)

Map(b)

- a sharing process, almost like a ceremony/ ritual

-

Map(c)

- unheard stories

-

3種地圖

如何勘探或介入一個地方/空間的歷史, 並以視覺圖像方式呈現

3種地圖作為表述的試驗.

1) 時間面向 : 男女體交合的地形圖

2) 拓印 : 背痛

3) 曼茶羅 : 想像世界的地圖

(1) 時間面向

- 嘗試把一貫地圖顯示的時間微量化, 以至於是分鐘單位的

- 強調邊界

- 符號替換

- 地圖作為一種比喻

- recognizability

(2) 拓印 : 背痛

- 近似投影法, 拓出「地理表徵」

- 如水墨畫

- 也是一種visual ethnography

- 在地理及空間意義上, 比例最為接近原物

- 幾乎沒有可供詮釋的符號

- recognizability 的反面

- 製圖過程中對製圖對象的加深認識

(3) 曼茶羅 : 想像世界的地圖

- 結合了訪問, 並把口述歷史以視覺想像出來 (visual fabrication)

- 極微觀的口述史

- 地圖的多視點表現形式

- 結合畫像與錄像, 有聲音元素.

- 極多symbol

- 主觀想像最多

- 製圖過程中對製圖對象的加深認識

- 因不是對應物理上的地方, 因而recognizability不適用.

閱讀身體的方法

極不同的風格與取向

2nd day of shooting- preparation

Apr 10th

金魚

魚缸

玻璃樽

花紅粉

玻璃杯

with Video Choreography

- draw on body and shoot

- choose a place, choose a costume, choose a part 用camera 觀察自己

e.g. fee : 肚腩 + 飲水 + 畫地形線 / 背, 脊椎, 家族的曲線 / 痛的線

Women Make Waves

- 女性自拍

mapping exercise

- body parts, in touch with

maps of body; our maps

The video = my own map creating process

 

Mapping workshop, mapping exercises as visual ethnography

- in touch with your body parts

- body parts, adjectives, metaphor (an automatic writing exercise)

- creating your own legend

 

Research-theoretical text

Mapping/ Cartography as a method to intervene a place/ history

What is a map? (theoretical definition)

• graphical form

graph (i mean not geographical map, but like mindmaps, conceptual maps)

geographical maps, atlas

Process of mapping

• investigation of a place

measurement, statistics

being there… ethnography?

• COMPRESSION : put into a 2D plane, which includes 3D, 4D information
• Geo-spatial relationship + other information
• Provide knowledge : history making?

The form of map

 

Producing map as visual ethnography

• How does map tell story? (just like : how do photos tell story?)
• How to analyze maps and their hidden message? (vocabulary of maps, psychoanalysis)

Map as a narrative form

• sequence of maps : sequence of images
• maps : not linear, 2D

inter-linkage, zoom in/ out

layers (same place but different information)

Feminist approach : auto-ethnographical cartography

progress, auto-ethnography

哇看看上次post的日期真是嚇人!整整20天了!

• 拍了一些body landscape的footage
  • 沙與body parts
  • 微日光下的body parts (主要是臀跟股)
• 正在拍body parts的still image, 但因用holga不太熟練, 頭2筒都失敗。
• 第3筒終於成功! technical details : holga, 室內, 晚, 光源 : 燈泡, ISO800, shutter : 40秒. 出來很漂亮! 可以用來做第一階段的畫地圖 + 寫絮語。

今天GT堂, Linda教寫research-theoretical text.

some keywords noted down :

• investigation/visit, revisit
• journey
• mapping — geography — personal geographies
• ethnography, auto-ethnography
  
• map narrative
• performative
• feminism(?)

I started a journey of investigation my own histories and took myself as a landscape to discover. I created maps along the journey. It was an auto-ethnography which uses map as a narrative form and took mapping as a method to study oneself. It was also performative about how I narrate myself. It is a narrative game.

body as landscape

auto-ethnography : investigating personal histories

mapping personal geographies : personal histories as a landscape for investigating

“文字” <影像> [聲音] – 碎碎唸

<紅色蔓延, 迸出形, 如一幅一幅不固定的地圖, 在流變>

<矇矓的, 紅色一片片, 漸漸模糊不清>

<blur鏡入, 畫身體的sketch的close-up, 線條極簡>

<手指頭沾上紅色頻料, 塗抹在sketch之上>

<close-up沾上紅色的手指頭, 鏡頭隨著手指移動>

<手指降落在一片全白的畫紙上, 一拉, 拉出一條優美的弧度>

====出字幕,片頭======

“我嘗試透過觸碰, 撫摸, 指頭的流動, 探索, 並企圖熟知而且標示我的領土。”

“像一個容器”

[吹空樽的嗚嗚聲] <注入清水, 玻璃窗> <凝視, 吹奏, 傾聽>

<閃過是男的背>

“男子沒辦法了解我, 一如我亦沒辦法了解男子。”

<阿妹在喝水, 清水, 簡單的玻璃杯, 一杯接一杯>

<肚腩因為水的載入而漸漸隆起, 漲大>

<鏡頭在大肚腩上遊移, 圖紋漸漸浮現> – 那裏有好多記憶, 如同枝葉蔓生。

<接direction的繼續遊移, 但畫面變得grainy, 像超聲波圖像>

[像水底, 又像被機器干擾的低頻噪音]

<畫面裏像是有甚麼物質翻動, 但看不真切; 白色絲線繼續蔓展, 鏡頭在某處停了下來, 絲線捲成一幅地圖>

“流奶與蜜之地”

found footage : Breasts (in City U Lib)

“年年, 連連…”

“細細, 滔滔…”

<金魚的尾一翻, 蛟轉, 充斥整個畫面, 色調濃艷>

<水, 色彩>

<海藻飄動, 水, 色彩>

<流淌在地上的水, 淡紅, 染紅, 渲, 腥紅>

“是山水” “一幅一幅” “蜿蜒” “丘陵的曲線…”

– 像費蘭明高一般哀怨, 激烈, 旋轉並且扭動, 熱切, 傾注, 火紅朵朵在翻滾。

- 乳暈如同地圖上的標記, 高聳並且吸引著人們的視線。那裏樹立著甚麼。

“一艘船”

“大海上” “航行”

文字

• 線, 可以是連接, 也可以是疆界. 身體的接連, 身體的疆界。 //與另一個個體傾吐, 了解, 彼此容納, 是多麼的難。 即使當身體彼此融入。 繪畫自己的身體是否也很難。 // 生育是至今我認為最不可思議最美妙之事。 一封錄像的信, 致送予我未來的女兒。 // 禪修的每一天 : 每一天都觀察自己的身體。掌心, 臉, 誰吻過的的唇; 有多少人觸碰過的。 //intimate, inner landscape.
• 關於每一處的故事
  • 手 : 接觸, 自己看自己。掌紋。
  • 腳 : 路, 行經的。
  • 乳房 : 哺育, 美好, 豐沛。
  • 肚 (子宮, 肚腩) : 女性, 子房, 月事, 生育。
  • 腰 : 家族的曲線, 痛楚。

圖, 地圖

• 中醫經脉圖 (如香港地圖的玩法, 把沒有感覺的地方逐一剔除)
• 超聲波照片

碎的錄像, 片段

• 沖涼, 自己觀看自己
• 雙腿間的光
• 用白布包裹著自己
• 像 “影舞者瑪德”的舞動
• 慶祝身體的慶典

workshop/test/ game

• 在身體上寫字

Reading notes : Feminism in Philsophy

• embodiment, discontinuity
• 斷裂的身體經驗, an urge to construct, by deconstructing, trying to use methods to analyze. Not satisfied of the provided, taken-for-granted body landscape (or blueprint).
  
• body, emotion is not without significance.
  
• 和怎樣介入一個地方的關係… historians, geography, cartographers –> seems to be rational, objective, masculine mind sets. use a feminist approach to intervene a place. and why body landscape… also, this is worth drawing a map. emotions, bodily experience counts, they are essential. Maps need not to be with only about buildings, land property… .
  

• 2 criteria for continuing personal identity :  (can it be used as my structure? to separate scenes?)
  • bodily continuity
  • psychological continuity
    

reading about cartography, & revising concept

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~asia/CartographyPaper.html

intention : suggest changes, ruptures, tension and conflicts.

the culture’s self image…

map-making : a revealing process, about the cartographer’s self image

again, how do I see my city?

not that political… not that rational… i m not such kind of people…

the changing shapes… i love to investigate, love to wander around the historical documents…

Map in同事三分親…?? map-making and story-telling… narrative…

my own : femin body, landscape/

recap from what I ‘ve learned in SCM… what I can acquire in the GT…

Micro Narratives

• X (causal) linearity
  • map as a narrative form : not linear. as a plane.
• X passive viewing contexts, continuity and narrative absorption, in scene or editing
• X equating perception/reception with story comprehension with an over-emphasis on progression and plot-development
• intra-shot possibility
  • setting of projection..
• “sigularism” –> multi-focus
• temporal and spatial scaling, multiplicity of time and space
• fabrication of noises