#3: Why “CRISPR Whisper”
The idea of CRISPR come from "whisper". I hope it could mean a secret talk or whispering. But I felt that "whisper" was too simple for representing the ideas behind the 10 years of my creative work and changes. So I was thinking about how to find a word that could summarize my 10 years of creation and the changes that have been happening, and then incorporate that into my own creative work. That's when I discovered that "whisper" and "CRISPR" have a very similar pronunciation. I then researched what CRISPR technology is, and found that it is similar to my creative process.
CRISPR is a highly controversial technology. If not controlled properly, it could lead to things like cloning or nuclear bombs, which are inhumane. This technology works by taking the structure of DNA, identifying the problem, cutting out the bad parts, and reconnecting the rest, just like the early film editing technique of cutting out unwanted parts and splicing the rest together, resulting in montage and unexpected outcomes. I find it similar to my creative process.
In my work, when I'm looking for photographic materials, I also try to avoid having my own identity clearly represented in the work. Instead, I focus more on events and life experiences of others, things that happen to other people or places, which can provide me with inspiration. The concept of CRISPR is like Rosetta, it's circular, you can read it from left or right. Visually, it resonates with my work. This exhibition is a bit like a retrospective, harking back to some of my work from 2018.
The basic aspect of editing in the work can be discussed. Words like "truth" or "frame" are very important in my work. In terms of artistic language evolution in the work from 2018 to 2022, after the "Blank Space" solo exhibition, I realized my photography and video works have an inseparable relationship with the concept of time. Before, I was constantly searching for new ways to retell stories, like in that work where I slowed down the frames of someone quickly chopping a cabbage, revealing the simple relationship between a hand and the cabbage. It reminded me of my grandmother.
After that exhibition, I discovered that I could use those slowed down frames in my video works, making time seem to stand still, so that the audience can forget about time and tasks, and the relentless pursuit of maximum results in our fast-paced society.