I always find the cover of John Berger’s Ways of Seeing interesting, not just the painting, but also the words. And it is obviously that the drawing, The Key of Dreams, is troubling the conventional descriptions and the notion of definitions of things, i.e. a horse is being re-named as the door; the wind is now representing the clock.
In the structured
language system, each word has its corresponding meaning of what it has been
named. Likewise, in the world of signification, every object can be viewed as a
sign, and all signs have contained the signifier and the signified, which is the
‘presence’ that represents a sound-image and a concept.
Yet, there is always a
gap between seeing and understanding, on the ground that there is no objective
facts, only subjective interpretations. The gap is thus where a meaning being
constructed, maintained, disrupted and reorganized by the author and the reader.
Accordingly, the meaning of a sign becomes moldable, fluid, and indeterminable;
a creation, so to speak.
After watching a few
music videos that directed by Yan Yan Mak, I found those visible constructions in
her works very attractive, unique as well. It is a creation that intentionally
communicates with the audience, in which a value has been presented.
The below are the music videos that I watched:
Blooming
– You are the protagonist of your life
Sun,
light, the natural and neutral visual elements in the world, which are
everywhere and available enough for anyone to use; even, thanks for the
technology, they are now able to be reproduced. The usage or creation of them
is thus become personal. User is exercising power over them, and to personalize
them. By then, the representation is a sight, and meaning is encoded to the
object or idea by the sender, which opens to decoding and interpretations.
What I
received from those music videos is the message that ‘I am the protagonist of
my life’. It is not common to capture the singer as the only character in a
music video. Rather, it is more likely to see other actors play the act. Yet, Yan
Yan Mak presents us the former. Mak is not just shoots Hocc throughout the
video, but also boldly directs Hocc to look straight to the camera. It is like
a statement, and the attitude is clear and strong: ‘I own the stage of my life’.
The way
that Mak represents the sun and light strengthens the idea. (And of course
there are images that help to reinforce the message, such as walking on the
rail, driving, releasing the butterflyand the burst of water compartments. But
I will skip here.)
By
placing Hocc in between of the light, the sun is blooming behind Hocc, which shining
on her face and in our eyes.
Words: 483
Lancelot
Lancelot
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