One absolute, one truth replacing another.
Revolutions makes reference to some famous images of revolutions - images as signifiers of historical moments: e.g..
Eugene Delacroix's painting "Liberty leading the people", 1830 french revolution
Lenin addressing the mass - october revolution, 1917
Iraq - the image of the fall of a Saddam Hussein statue, 2003
Tiananmen Square China- goddess of liberty statue, 1989
Tiananmen Square China - one student in-front of a raw of tanks, 1989
Prague Spring, Soviet tank entering city of Prague, 1968
Revolutions is an animation in three episodes.
Revolutions 1: revolution succeeds.
The authority is being over thrown; a new truth is installed. The existing power is replaced by the new one. The old symbols are gone, replaced by new symbols. Historical reference: any 'successful revolution'. Russian october revolution 1917. Overthrowing the Qing Dynasty founding of the modern the Republic of China. Recently: Egypt 2011, Libya 2011 etc..
Revolutions 2: the revolution is being put down and crushed.
e.g.. 1989 Tiananmen Square; 1968 Prague Spring, Student Uprising Gwangju 1980.
Revolutions 3: the revolution becomes a commodity, a tourist attraction, some nostalgia, separated from its political and social context.
References: China and its re-vival of a Mao-cult. Revolution symbols as fashion accessories. Tourist posing in front of dictators and 'war' heroes. Revolutions separated from its original value and only as an item - as commodity.
Revolutions is a semi-interactive animation.
Audiences are mirrored in the animation sequence, they cannot directly influence or interfere with the flow of the film, of 'revolutions'. They participate, taking part and join in the mass uprising, as a witness standing behind and observing or as somebody following ones routine and leaving the space passing by.
Revolutions is a re-mastering of an older work by the artist; it is based on his piece 'revolutions come and revolutions go' from 2005.
Article about the "Revolutions" project
About Jun Yang
