How do humans transform into fish?
Video / Zine / Illustration / Sculpture / Flipbook
Personal Project
2024
People addicted to short videos share similarities with goldfish. Both have gradually had their physiological structures and behavioral patterns altered. Those immersed in short videos are like domesticated goldfish. I use goldfish as a visual metaphor to express that people who are addicted to short videos are showing a tendency to be domesticated by short videos. This project uses a series of works including video, sculpture, zine, and flipbook to prompt viewers to reflect on how social media control people and their own addictive behavior toward these platforms.
沉迷于短视频的人，和金鱼有着某种相似性。他们的生理结构与行为模式，正逐渐被改变，仿佛被驯化的金鱼。我以金鱼作为视觉隐喻，表达人们正呈现出被短视频驯化的倾向。本项目通过录像、雕塑、zine 与翻页动画等多种媒介，呈现社交媒体如何操控人类行为，并引发观者反思自身对这些平台的依赖与成瘾。
国内视频观看链接: https://pan.baidu.com/s/1Pc-JRfWSY58cRUhVUcj12g?pwd=vhuf 提取码: vhuf
In Chinese, the words for "fish" (鱼) and "foolish" (愚) all have the same pronunciation, "yu." The Chinese pronunciation of 'yu' (鱼/愚) is similar to the English word 'you'.
Additionally, there is a Chinese idiom, "大鱼弱智" (dàyú ruòzhì), where "鱼" (yú) is "fish." The idiom describes someone who appears smart but is foolish. This is similar to how users seem to choose the content they want to see on social media, but in reality, that content is controlled by algorithms. The act of choosing may seem autonomous and intelligent, but it's actually foolish. We addicted to social media is like being a goldfish in a fish tank.
在中文中，“鱼”（yú）与“愚”（yú）同音，而“yú”的发音又与英文中的“you”相似。这种语言上的巧合，为我赋予金鱼这一意象更深层的隐喻意义。
汉语里还有一个有趣的表达——“大鱼弱智”，形容一个人表面聪明，实则愚蠢。这恰如我们在社交媒体上刷短视频的状态：看似主动选择内容，实则早已被算法精密操控。选择的权利只是幻象，智能的表象背后，是被喂养、被驯化的“愚”。我们沉迷社交媒体的状态，像极了鱼缸中的金鱼——看似自由地游动，却早已失去方向与选择的能力。
Zine
Size: 100 x 200 mm
Sculpture
Size: 310 x 130 x 70 mm
I used a weaving technique for the sculpture to give the impression that social media information is wrapping and entangling people, like a net. I rearranged and printed screenshots from the short videos on 300g paper and wove the paper into the shape of a fish. I left some weaving threads at the head's edge to give the impression that the short videos are consuming the fish. The face of the fish is made of mirrored acrylic. So, when viewers face the sculpture, they will both realize they have become the fish and feel as if the fish is about to consume them.
我采用编织的方式创作雕塑，以此传达社交媒体的信息如同一张无形的网，正在层层缠绕、包裹着人们。我将短视频中的截图重新排版并印制在300克厚纸上，再将这些纸条编织成鱼的形状。
鱼头部分特意留出一些未完成的编织线，仿佛这些短视频正逐渐吞噬整条鱼。鱼脸由镜面亚克力制成，当观众面对雕塑时，既是在注视一条鱼，同时也将自己的倒影映入其中。
这使观者产生一种错位的感受——他们既是鱼，也正被鱼吞噬。这种互动关系反映出我们在社交媒体中扮演的双重角色：既是“使用者”，也是“被困者”。
Social media exacerbates polarization. We often see votes on social media asking whether you support the red or blue side. When viewers flip through the book, choosing a color is like choosing a viewpoint, but regardless of the choice, they will become fish. The upward flipping motion of the book mimics the upward scrolling effect of social media, and just as social media content is repetitive, the stories in the book are cyclical.
社交媒体加剧了观点的对立与极化。我们常在平台上看到“你支持红方还是蓝方？”这样的投票，看似在鼓励表达意见，实则将复杂的问题简化为二元对立。
在翻阅这本书的过程中，观者在每一页都被迫作出颜色的选择，这个动作象征着在社交媒体上选边站队。然而无论选择红或蓝，最终的结果都是——你会成为那条鱼。
翻页的动作是向上的，模仿了社交媒体中“上滑刷视频”的操作。书中的故事循环往复，正如社交媒体上的内容看似不断推陈出新，实则高度重复。这种机制让人陷入不断滑动、不断选择、却始终困在同一模式中的状态。
Flipbook
Size: 80 x 150 mm
Exhibition
2024