Lei Feng vs. VISION - The Video

  Text for the narration:

  Wang Lang describes the concept     
  behind Lei Feng vs. VISION as   
  follows:

  "A portrait of ‘Lei Feng’, who was 
  held up as a social role model in
  China during the Fifties and Sixties,
  alternatively may comprise
  innumerable photos from the covers
  of ‘VISION’, a model magazine for
  leading trends in fashion, so as to juxtapose the value orientations of two different eras and contexts within the same two-dimensional picture - entering into a wholly new quadrant resulting from the disintegration of time and space. In fact, it possesses an utter ‘virtuality’. "

Lei Feng, the man in the portrait, himself is a product of ‘virtuality’. His life story was fabricated as an exemplar of puritannical socialist morality and virtue. Decades ago, many photos of Lei Feng were manually doctored images. They were literally cut and pasted by party propagandists to manufacture and accentuate his heroic selflessness as a humble, loyal soldier and worker faithfully serving the Communist cause. In contrast, the vivid pixel elements of fashion models in this mosaic clash with this moralistic conformity. They celebrate an unrestrained and flamboyant individuality which defies obedience and rejects humility and servitude.

By fusing divergent phenomena into a unified whole, the artist deconstructs our false perception of pure duality such as binary opposites, thesis and antithesis or subject and object, in the context of an expanded comprehension of reality.

Some notes on the creation of the video:

This video represents a collaboration of sorts between myself and the artist of the work, Wang Lang. Most of the sequences in this video were photographs I took of this work on canvas with nikkor 50mm and 105mm lenses mounted on a D800. Two short video segments were also taken with the 105mm and the D800. The very last zoom sequence is a digital animation created by the artist himself.

All of the photo, video and audio editing was done with either open-source or free software. The background music was something I also composed using free windows-based software on a virtual keyboard app with my tablet.

I first translated the description of this work by the artist from Chinese, then added in my own commentary for further context.

Wang Lang's 3D Art - 3D painting in black and white

     In 2011, Wang Lang developed a method of painting 3D works of art on canvas. The creation of this art form incorporates a mixed media approach that blends the use of 3D photography with digital manipulation, whilst applying innovative acrylic and oil painting techniques. These remarkable paintings break down the barrier between analogue and digital art. In bridging the divide between physicality and virtuality, they blur the boundaries between illusion and reality.

     The 3D effect of these acrylic works are viewed through red and blue (or anaglyphic) 3D glasses. Elements of the paintings appear to move as you tilt your head or move from left to right, which adds a uniquely interactive dimension not found in other forms of two-dimensional visual art.      The optimal distance for viewing these works varies depending on the size of the image on the screen through which they are viewed. You may need to move further away from your device to achieve the best 3D-depth perception of the painting. 

     The 3D painting featured in this video represents a cleaner, more simplified approach to the art form, in contrast to many of his earlier 3D works which are richer in detail, colour and complexity. By reducing their 3D elements to the bare essentials, Wang Lang has created 3D paintings with hues of red and blue that are actually perceived in black-and-white when seen through 3D glasses. This particular piece has been cropped slightly to fit a widescreen format and is still a work in progress. All photos, video clips, narration, music and editing by Chris Harry.

Software:

Open shot video editor 

paint.net 

FSviewer 

FSresizer 

Photoshop CS6 

Hardware:

Nikon D800 

50 mm G F1.4 Nikkor lens

HTC 10 

Sony RX100 (Mark I)

Emperor Xi - Satirical Electronic Music

Emperor Xi - Satirical Electronic Music  (Click on this link to hear the track)

Photo by Chris Harry

This is my first upload on SoundCloud. It's a combination of a field recording of crickets in Eastern Beijing, along with a digital drum track and voices from online text-to-speech engines. I combined the tracks manually with a Sony digital recorder. This track was completed using Nero Wave Editor.

It is a satirical musical invention poking fun at China's dictator, Xi Jinping.

Please feel free to share any tips, hints, criticisms or suggestions!

Sight beyond Seeing - 3D Art by Wang Lang

     An overview and exploration of Wang Lang's hand-painted 3D works of art. Requires red-and-blue 3D glasses in order to fully experience the three-dimensional effect of the art works presented. All elements of the video, including script translation, narration, photography, music, video editing, audio mixing, layout and design by Chris Harry.