Illusion @ He Chengyao. 2002
- HE Chengyao, Illusion, 2002.
‘‘Illusion’’ is a performance art piece I did in February 2002 at the Beijing Art Archives and Warehouse. The work was executed in this fashion: I invited a male audience member at the site to hold a mirror and use it to refract sunlight onto the background on a gray brick wall. I ran in front of the wall and chased the illusive patch of sun. The person grasping the mirror casually controlled all of my running, jumping, hiding, and movements of evasion. The performance lasted approximately ten minutes. After several times, each time the audience increased and after the role exchange, the audience became increasingly aware of the manipulator’s consciousness. Our body participates in the specific field or territory, experiencing the correct and the desired connection. Moreover, attemps with such behavior also concerns the audience by traditional forms in the role to transform primarily passive modes, like writing, to the role of the creation of work.