Dancing brush: an exploration of Taoist aesthetics

Dancing Brush video installation is dedicated to legendary Taiwanese dancerTsai Jui-Yue (1921-2005) in the memory of her suffering, creativity and faith inlife. This work reveals the true meaning of Chinese scroll paintings as an infinity oftime and space. It draws on the notion of mobility as expounded in the I Ching orBook of Changes. Dancing Brush creates a modern cityscape where the principal ofTaoism, ancient Chinese landscape painting, and calligraphy meet new mediaaesthetics.The focus of this thesis is to reassess media arts practice and aesthetics via thetraditions of Chinese Taoist aesthetics. The research was conducted in three dimensions:“non-linear aesthetics” in Chinese arts as the new media art form, “unity of emptinessand fullness” as the animation principle, and “subtraction aesthetics” as the principle ofcreativity. I propose Dancing Brush video installation as a presentation of “aesthetics ofwandering contemplation”. The work suggests a feature of Chinese moving imageaesthetics as a ‘spatial montage’ form of media arts.I applied the Taoist “decreative-creative process” as the creative method inwhich the “decreative” process leads to the “creative”. The “decreative-creativeprocess” is based on the Taoist teachings of zi-ran (spontaneity) and wu-wei(non-action). I interpret it as “subtraction aesthetics: less is more”. The process is toeliminate interferences with restricted narrative format and visual effects, then toreceive the immediate presentation of things as pure materials. Through the subtractingprocess, it gainsnot less but more.Kong Bai (emptiness or formless) in Chinese art is the result of subtractionaesthetics. It reveals the creative principle derived from the Taoist idea of “usefulness ofuseless”. The ‘subtracting process’ in creating animation is to bring ‘unknown’ to life.The ‘image beyond image’ is the product of “unity of emptiness and full” whereChinese artistic realm yi-jing is created