REBELLION
Year: 2022
Medium: Sterling Silver, Aluminium, Onyx, Hair
Director & Performer: Lingyi Li
Cameramen: Mark Sorace, Shiqing Chen
Music: Blissing Me - Björk, Serpentwithfeet
“REBELLION” is a longing for freedom from the plight of masculine identity. The ideas of toxic masculinity have been enforced on the artist for a long time. The environment kept preaching to him to act tough and stoic, to remove effeminate traits from him.
Harness was originally associated with exploration of sexuality in the queer community, it gradually became mainstream with a growing culture of sexual discourse. The artist attempts to embrace a sense of sexual liberation, owning his sexuality by wearing the harness. He feels a sense of coldness and confinement, he feels intrinsically liberated. It’s also a male emotional armor for him to face the world.
Additionally, the artist cuts off his own hair as a sign of rebellion and attaches a strand to the harness as an ode to his essence — a soft being. Hair showcases facets of identity, like femininity is associated with the long hair. He desires this idea of sexualizing hair traits could be trimmed off from the culture.
“Why did you keep your hair this long, like a girl?” was the first thing his dad asked as he picked him up at the airport.
Process
Pattern making
Bezel setting
Soldering
Polishing