My graduation project is based on my experience of applying for my visa to the Netherlands in 2021. At that time, I could tell that something was a bit off, so I collected all the emails exchanged between myself, school, and two Dutch embassies in China, and I knew I would do something with those emails later. Coming all the way from taking care of myself to questioning my family relationship, now I want to investigate the relationship between individuals and institutions, trying to figure out why must individuals bear the consequences of institutional misconduct?
Instead of thinking from my own perspective, I decide to think otherwise, from the perspective of a bureaucratic institution that is how to avoid taking responsibility and deny any wrongdoing. Thus, I have transformed myself into a fictional academy called the “Avoidance Academy.” Using satire and humour as my tactical critique, I have designed a logo for the academy and handouts titled “The Ultimate Guide to Avoidance.”
During the process, I was constantly thinking how to maintain my subjectivity while embodying an academy? I wrote a script for the tutorial video and after I tried generating the video from AI, which obviously was not working I decided to perform it myself. In order to remain anonymous, I am wearing a black-net mask and using AI generated voice to read the script. I incorporate movements from boxing, Tai chi, and debating hand gestures to visualise “The Ultimate Guide to Avoidance”.
For the third part of this video, I made a simple clumsy black&white animation to align with the style of PowerPoint presentation.
Additionally, I come up with a dodging exercise that combines elements from dodgeball and children’s games. In this exercise, I stand within a 2-meter diameter circle and try my best to dodge paper balls that are thrown at me. Each paper ball bears a printed copy of each corresponding email, adding a tangible representation of the communication during my visa application process.
Participants in Dodging Exercise:
Milo Sharafeddine
Cynthia Cheung
Rikki Swart
Paolo Tarelli
Special Thanks To:
Marijn Ottenhof
Yuchen Pan
