The Gushi Village Memory Project

 

video installation

2024

 

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    Gu Shi Village is located in Lianjiang County, Fujian Province. It is a fishing village with a history of over two hundred years and currently has a permanent population of 37. With rapid economic development, a large number of young villagers have left, flocking to economically prosperous cities and towns, while those who remain are mostly middle-aged and elderly. In 2024, Gu Shi Village was designated by the government as a tourism development area, and businesses along with rural revitalization teams have been gradually introduced. Driven by online traffic, Gu Shi Village is steadily gaining popularity, and the villagers—originally the architects of the village—are increasingly being objectified as part of the tourism landscape.

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    "The Gu Shi Village Memory Project" focuses on 18 middle-aged and elderly villagers. By documenting their truly moving memories and life stories, the project showcases the deep emotional bond between the villagers and Gu Shi Village. The project ultimately produced 16 groups of experimental video works.

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    The project is divided into two parts. The first part uses digital projection technology to simultaneously display the 16 groups of experimental video works recording the villagers' life memories across various areas of the village, thereby illuminating the dark, unlit fishing village at night (the village has street lights only along its main road). It also integrates the villagers’ life memories with the physical spaces that carry their memories and emotions, reconstructing Gu Shi Village into a memory field exclusive to its inhabitants and simultaneously presenting the inner emotions of the villagers alongside the cultural essence of the village. The second part consists of transferring this memory field to an exhibition hall, where the villagers' life memories are permanently showcased through immersive video installations.