A Ship of Theseus 2020

This moving image “A ship of Theseus 2020” project began with a straightforward proposition: A classic philosophical question in a post-human context. —A cyborg having replaced their body and lost their primitive feminine instincts— While embodies by various struggles, twitches, and writhes, in physical. Meanwhile, in one sequence, their mental part is demonstrated in a set of confrontational sequences.

The solo-screen narrative features a cyborg, played by actors costumed in makeup and detachable installation. In the first part, they walk into the lab with the icy apparatus like the other replicas. More of the psychological struggle is shown in the second part, The last part until the end, their sense of brokenness and despair is displayed in opposition to the mirror image. As described in the Cyborg Manifesto, how do we construct a new identity politics in the virtual world in order to build a new political ecology? How we can overthrow the tyranny of centralization?

Original Title 忒修斯之船 2020
Time 2020
Medium Moving image (color, with sound),variable size, video monitors.
Length 1’57”
Aspect Ratio 16:9