Production Year:2001
Medium/ Technique:Video Installation, photography, infrared rays detector
Is Part of a Series  Invisible Project
Keyword(s):Invisible Project, Aboriginal people, ceremony

【Description】
Once, while watching a video about aboriginal culture, an idea sprung to mind and it evolved into the “Invisible Project”. Initially, the idea was to simply erase the physical bodies of the characters on the video, using the image editing software Adobe Premiere. The shadows of the characters remain and their actions continue. The actions can be ceremonial dances, such as Pestle Dance and Lubu Dance. The film, with the physical bodies erased, can be projected onto any form of space, such as dance halls, exhibition halls, ceremonial halls, etc. Projections of the shadow dance can also rest on the floor and the wall, or, by increasing the strength of the light beam, on clear night skies or amid thick fog. Viewers can even interact with the shadow dance projections. This concept can include aboriginal cultures from around the world, involving interesting interactions between different tribal dances.

Contents of the work can be summarized as follows:
1. 5-minute film clip with shadows in action; the physical bodies of the figures are erased.
2. 5-minute film clip with physical bodies in action; the shadows of the figures are erased.
3. Projecting shadows amid real people. For example, a shadow that follows you around (once you are detected by the infrared detector).
4. Projecting shadows (dancing) amid real, physical bodies.
5. 2-minute film clip of shadows crushing and grinding millet.
6. Intercutting shots of different tribal dances.
7. Real people dance with shadows.
8. Shadow dance projected amid thick fog.
The motivation behind “dances with shadows” and representation of aboriginal dances is to raise people's awareness about minority cultures. The owners of the shadows will, along with their mother culture, will become part of the history . This will be a great loss to humankind. When the audience views the danceng of shadows, without the performers, they may realize the importance of and urgency about cultural preservation and inheritance .
Shadows can take on a great variety of shapes. Compared with physical bodies, shadows are more flexible and dynamic. In this sense, there are more possibilities for expressiveness inherent in shadows.
9. Shadows of great heroes are contrasted with those of sinners in history.
10. The physical body and shadow switch places: the shadow stands upright like a physical body and the physical body lies down like a shadow.
11. Shadows or footprints running across the ceiling.
12. White and black footprints contrasting each other .
13. Shadows are changing and transformed into the form of human , bat, duck, dog.etc.
14. A part where many shadows, but no real people , gather , and human voices can be heard.
15. Shadows in changing human forms projected from different angles.

Shadows, something that usually do not catch one’s eye, can now be viewed and appreciated on their own. What a concept with surprising potential! There are no details on the shadows and facial expressions cannot be discerned. Only the changing forms of the shadows are visible. While the absence of details may be a bit of a pity, shadows can take on a multiplicity of shapes and sizes physical bodies cannot. These changes in forms can be used as an ideal way to convey inner feelings.
Despite the absence of details on the shadows, the changing forms of the shadows carry and reveal messages. A shadow consists of the main figure and the accessories. Movements in the main figure set the accessories in motion, resulting in dramatic changes of the shadow, heightening its aesthetic appeal. A deeper understanding of the messages can be achieved through reading the shapes and motions of the accessories.
Another creative possibility with the original footage is to slowly fade out the physical bodies from head to toe, leaving behind the shadows on the ground, continuing with their actions for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, the shadows will also gradually fade out, leaving behind the sunny backdrop. The soundtrack of aboriginal songs will also grow fainter and fainter until there is only silence. The underlying message is that, people are oblivious to the fact due to the lack of preservation of and awareness about minority ethnic cultures, The are disappearing in the historical ashes left by the mainstream culture.

Where have all the owners of the shadows gone? (Spoken in the Atayal, or Taiya, language) o.s.
The people of the mountains and forests – have they vanished?Are these forlorn shadows, without their owners, still the people of the mountains? Is the destiny of the land, mountains and forests still in their hands? Who brought about their disappearance? Your ancestors and mine seized their property, generosity and purity. Your ancestors and mine forced them to flee and relocate. Your ignorance and mine turned them into mist in the forests, turned them into shadows scattering across the mountains. Wake up! Don’t let them be the shadow dancers under the sun.
This concept is applicable to different ethnic groups, using ceremonial dances of, for example, the indigenous peoples in North America, the Maya people in Central America, the Maori in Australia, or the many ethnic groups across Africa. “Shadow Dance Project” was conceived with different aboriginal cultures in mind. The project’s objective is to raise global awareness of and concern for aboriginal cultural preservation.