PEAKED
2022
Single-channel video
4 min 33 sec

The video portrays a suspenseful and visceral doomsday journey in the first-person point of view through the lens of a drone navigating the charred remnants of a wildfire. Wa Liu and Yang Bao zoom in on lichens in the rainforest as a paradoxical metaphor for the multi-faceted relationship between humans and nature. Lichens play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity in the ecosystem, but they are also the tinder for the increasingly severe wildfires during global warming. Many lichens reproduce by splitting into clones of themselves or merging with other species, allowing them to keep expanding for centuries. As lichens gradually absorb airborne pollutants and radionuclides over the years, they become the silent chronicler of nuclear testing and climate change. In contaminated zones, drones are deployed to monitor pollution levels and wildfire patterns. In the video, the two artists use a drone to maneuver in the once lively forest that has been burnt down since they last visited.

Drawing reference from the Doomsday Clock, this video features two hours of music from compositions “11 PM” and “Midnight” in Yang Bao’s 24-hour spatial audio piece for piano “GODSPEED.” It compresses the sounds of 120 pianos into one compact and emotionally-charged sonic experience, culminating in a massive soundscape of all living and non-living things altogether inhabiting the same planet. Counting down to midnight, the Doomsday Clock is set every year by scientists since 1947, as a universally recognized indicator of the Earth’s vulnerability to the impending catastrophe caused by nuclear weapons, climate change and disruptive technologies. In 2022, the Doomsday Clock is set at only 100 seconds to midnight.

Sudden Change
2022
Acrylic on Canvas
80 x 42 in

Tonight or Never
2022
Acrylic on Canvas
58 x 42 in

The second part of this video project presents a series of paintings. Yang Bao juxtaposes vibrant colors and uses the motion of his hands to visualize the intricate emotions and wild imagination. Drawing upon his experience as a classical pianist, his paintings are musical, tactile and immediate.

PEAKED
2022
单频影像
4分33秒

这件影像作品通过一架无人机在森林野火的残骸中穿行，以第一人称视角描绘了一段充满悬念的末日之旅。刘娃与鲍杨聚焦于雨林中的常见植物“地衣”，来隐喻人与自然之间矛盾复杂的依存关系。一方面，地衣在生态系统中发挥着至关重要的作用，长期维护着物种的多样性，另一方面，地衣也在全球变暖的过程中加剧了森林大火的蔓延。许多地衣通过分裂成自己的克隆体或与其他物种融合来进行繁殖，寿命可达几百或上千年。地衣长期吸收着空气中的污染物和放射性核素，无声地记载着核实验以及气候变化的人类历史。在受污染的地区，无人机被用来监测污染指数和森林大火。 在这件影像中，刘娃与鲍杨使用无人机再次探访了几年前仍旧生机勃勃的森林，如今所有树木已被烧毁。

本影像作品借用末日时钟的概念，选取鲍杨24小时空间音频作品《GODSPEED》中的“11PM”和“Midnight” ，两首共计2小时长的音乐作品，并将其中120台钢琴的声音压缩成一个紧凑而情感浓烈的声音体验。如同世界之轰鸣，将地球上所有生物和非生物的声音，以偶发性的方式融合为一个宏大的命运共同体。“末日时钟” 的概念诞生于1947年，每年由科学家进行评估，作为全球公认的指标，标示出人类距离全球性灾难的距离，隐喻核武器、气候变化和破坏性技术对地球的威胁。2022年“末日时钟”距离午夜末日的倒计时只剩100秒。 

突变
2022
布上丙烯
203 x 106 cm

要不今晚 要不永不
2022
布上丙烯
147 x 106 cm

作为本影像作品之延伸，鲍杨创作了两幅布上丙烯绘画，其灵感来源于他作为古典钢琴家的直觉和技巧，通过浓郁的色彩和手指的触感，他将饱满的情感和狂野的想象，凝练成富于音乐性和直觉性的独特画面。