Life & death 生死 is an immersive video installation that compiles personal footages of the journey of life. Playing with both literal and abstract representations projected on three screens surrounding the audience, this exhibit seeks to invoke thoughts on the bigger picture in life. With reference to Fake funerals in South Korea, it ultimately aims for people to diverge into deep thought and contemplate on their purpose in life
The essay topic I have selected is on Chinese Tomb Art. I would like to address the various types of Chinese Tomb Art and compare an armored and an unarmored terracotta figure from the Qin dynasty, applying both visual and contextual analysis to my findings.
The article I will start with is a thought invoking article by Martin Joseph’s book:
Bibliography reference
The book discusses on the rich belief of the afterlife among traditional Chinese that dates back to the Shang dynasty and how it employs different forms of funerary art used to reaffirm important cultural values such as filial piety.
The author also addresses a question for thought, whether funerary art can be considered “fine art” as there were no evidences of people regarding the tomb as a form of art in early China although tomb décor or individual artifacts might be admired for their artistry. He provides further evidence that mundane objects such as ceramics were not created as fine art but is now considered a work of collectible art during modern times.
These objects are mentioned by the author to serve their main purpose of honoring people of high-rank or to serve in ceremonial settings. Moving to the next level, author also questions whether “tomb art” actually does exists.
A possible outline for my essay is the following (sections and section headings subject to change):
Introduction
Body
OR
Conclusion
The least useless Disney princess.
She wasn’t a typical woman but one with extraordinary substance. These are her traits
Dilemma: To let her guard down and reveal her identity or not. After all she was a woman about to fight a war for the country. Sh*t was about to get real
Loki, are you my alter ego?
Basically, he was a perfect tactician. He was nowhere impulsive which brings his swag up. Loki was physically weak. As a lady, I feel the same. Therefore, I standby his way of developing a sharp intellect and an acute mind to overcome this handicap.
Other fictional characters: Robin Hood, Garfield, Joker
Keanu Reeves
Where do I start about this guy. He’s really a role model in many ways.
I mean which celebrity frequently and willingly accepts a pay cut of a few million dollars? Apart from that, he has donated over $75 million to the people he worked with because he thought they deserved it.
He’s one of the rare celebrities that sincerely wants to each crew member’s name and shakes hands with them. And he’s also that humble guy that hangs around with the homeless.
I’ve always looked up to people with such humble attitudes and I do wish to fulfill the same deeds. I guess I could try hanging with the homeless again. As for the millions of dollars he makes, I’ll have to continue working on that.
But well,
Keanu is brilliant. Be like Keanu.
Juliet Wu Shihong
From kopi aunty to GM of IBM China.
A little background since she is not a familiar public figure:
This lady’s life story is an example of how everyone starts from the bottom, and with outstanding amount of drive and perseverance, one can end up at the top. It all changed when she was forbidden into her own office building she was working at, because she was in shabby clothes and forgot her pass. While there were others that walked in freely just because they were in office wear.
Since then, she used every opportunity to enrich herself. Every day, she was the first to arrive at work, and the last one to leave. She made every second count, spending her time learning the ropes. Her efforts soon paid off; she was made a sales representative, and quickly progressed to being the regional general manager of this multinational company in China.
Character’s Dilemma: All or nothing. Should she be really putting in all this effort, spending long hours learning from ground zero and hoping to get something out of it? After all she had no qualifications. What were the chances of her success?
My Own Dilemma: Indeed there are endless possibilities out there, just like how I experienced in my gap year. Sometimes, these life stories also make me wonder, why am I still here as a student? I would like to see the world again.
Other public figures: Bono, Aung San Su Kyi, Ellen DeGeneres
We all know my man Jesus. I really high-key respect this man.
He’s one loving dude. He’s there for you and accepts you for who you are no matter how much you messed up in your previous lifetimes. He does have a complex quality though – he’s a contrarian. You might smoke weed, drink tons of vodka, and get high on mushrooms but He doesn’t judge yet he opposes. Simply, He does not go with popular opinion but he does not slam it down. He hates it but He loves you.
This relates to me as personally I’m not approving of certain things, but I accept the people around me for the way they are.
Dilemma: To fulfil the promise of coming down to earth to die for our sins on the cross or to chicken out and run away. Just like us, he came as full human, experiencing temptations just like we all do.
What really strikes me about this friend is that his outward appearance is a far cry from what he truly is.
His sociopathic behaviour makes it even more challenging to relate to others as he finds it hard to care for others the right way. This also caused him to not have many people to turn to, so he confides in drugs, alcohol etc.
But I felt an affinity with him after an incident which made me choose to overlook his flaws and understand the good side of him that was hard to surface. He was a friend that was there when my world was in downward spirals.
Because he is like this, he sympathizes
His story alone won’t break stereotypes but I hope to invoke some thoughts about knowing someone beyond skin deep.
