Glory to the CCP!
Interactive Performance / Installation using P5.js
December 8th, 2024
Description
Glory to the CCP! is an interactive work that is always renewed on the day of the performance. The project requires a fully updated text to be read, from the news articles published by Xinhua Net the day of. The performance is done by me and my partner which consists of us reading the news article on screen, and, as we read, certain buzzwords trigger the preloaded meme videos, all centered around the CCP. Moreover, whenever a video is triggered, it also triggers a counter on screen to count “Total Social Credits” and a counter for “Social Credit Streak” (buzzword triggered streak). The memes are curated overtime from multiple instagram and tiktok accounts, and will randomly block parts of the text, which requires us to move with our cursor in order to properly continue the performance. The videos also consist of significantly annoying visual and audio, meant to overlap and morph the article reading into chaos. Everything is designed to contrast sharply: colors of white, Chinese red and bright yellow, on screen and through stage lights, flicking more and more as the performance progresses, and our voices getting more and more distorted through audio manipulation.
If the news anchors aren't present, anyone can take upon their role themselves, and step up to read the text on screen, with the work as an installation. Though, keep in mind that happiness and joy is mandatory! Remember to smile at all times (required)!
Artist statement
Glory to the CCP! is a comment on the ever trending memes of China, the Chinese government, and key historical figures like Chairman Mao. The memes bring about a limited and constrained understanding of what China is like, and only showcases a very distorted, mindless, and meaningless image of China. With seemingly more and more people only caring about China when memes are brought up, this work addresses this quite serious issue of information scarcity in a satirical, comedic manner. My performing partner and I are in the role of Chinese news anchors, conforming to not only the stereotype but embodying an anchor’s pressure and representation. As the work is performed, it will be clear from the audience reactions on who is really familiar with China and who isn't.
Version Progressions
(Done in p5.js)
CCP V1
The first iteration of this project was presented on two screens. The article is read on a separate screen, and only visible to us (the performers). There were, however, three screens in use. We showcased the memes on one of the screens, had the audio control for another (the social credit counter and social credit streak), and on a phone had the article to be read. The only screen displayed is the memes’ screen, whereby it is controlled by my partner, who opened meme files by hand when the article I read triggered feedback from the social credit counter. The counter is the “audio” screen, not visible to the audience.
CCP V2
This second iteration brought along the change of screen combination. I chose to update the code to have everything done automatically, despite acknowledging there is a poetic nature to the meme videos being triggered and opened by hand in real time. Now, with V2, the meme videos are triggered to show at random display size, in random places on screen, when we read the article. However, the article is still not visible to the audience, and we read it off a separate, non-displayed screen.
CCP V3
The third version brought major updates, including adding the article on screen, making the words readable by the audience as we present, and in short, showing our script. I also felt inspired by news report headlines, whereby the title for the news article would scroll horizontally from right to left, making the words distinct and emphasized. I added this feature to the code, and now the entire article is going across the top of the screen, allowing the audience to follow along as we perform. This addition to the visuals is also meant for a creation of conflict, since the way I designed it, the random meme videos that would be triggered could sometimes cover the video, so that reading he text become more difficult, as we have to wait for the words to appear on the other size of the meme before continuing the same sentence since the video’s triggering. With V3, I also modified the bright yellow Social Credit Counter and Social Credit Streak Counter, so that instead of remaining at the bottom of the screen or in a stationary position, possible to be covered by a meme video, it now bounces around the screen, both becoming more free and adding more visual chaos.
CCP V4
V4 included some important changes. First, I decided to make the text, instead of scrolling horizontally from right to left, as headlines would do, to scroll from bottom up, as entire articles do. With this change I took major inspirations from news presenter’s teleprompters, further considering my role in the performance as the news anchor, taking responsibility for the news in its entirety, not merely from the perspective of the audience, simply caring about the headlines. The second change is that with the bouncing Social Credit Counter and Social Credit Streak Counter, sometimes words become obstructed on both the counter and the article text. Since I am displaying the entire article however it fits into the canvas, the entire screen is now covered with white text throughout 90% of the performance. This, in combination with the counter, now looking like a blotch of distorted symbols when two layers of text overlap, becomes unaesthetic and confusing. Thus, I applied an opacity effect to the text and the counter, having the text be invisible at the bottom of the screen and fully visible at the top, opposite to the counter, which is invisible when it bounces to the top of the canvas and fully visible when it bounces to the bottom.
CCP FINAL
With the final version, I added in a countdown timer and a few loading tips, meant to be for us, the performers, who are news anchors being reminded by the Chinese government of what to say and comical, though not entirely untrue stereotypes of what I can only imagine would happen with real Chinese news anchors before broadcasting begins. In the 10 second timer that counts down before text appears, I had, one after the other, the following: “The Party's truth is the only truth!”, “Listen to the Central Committee!”, “What is unreported is irrelevant!”, “Happiness and joy is mandatory!”, “Avoid awkwardness by discussing our glorious space program!”, “Taiwan is synonymous with ‘peaceful reunification’!”, and “Smile at all times!”. Moreover, I added a speed funcunction to the upwards scrolling article text, as teleprompters have, so that instead of having the entire text moving at the same speed, and sometimes when (in practices) words trip up, to be forced to catch up or slow down, I can control the scrolling speed as I perform with the up and down arrows on my keyboard. Finally, I made all the meme videos, after they appear, to be movable on screen, so that when a video is triggered, as it plays, I can drag it with my cursor out of the way to not block what I am reading and to properly continue presenting the news article. This not only functions as an interaction between the news anchor (us performers) and the algorithm, but also furthers the message of the piece by creating actual conflict between the actual news and misleading meaningless meme information.