dear velocity,
Full HD and found footage, color, stereo, 11'24''
Starring: Yueqing Yao | Music: xiaoyu1002 | Singer: zoee.wav
dear velocity is an attempt to revisit the now-demolished "Space Wonder" amusement park (航天奇觀) in my hometown Guangzhou, once home to a replica of the Space Shuttle Atlantis and a massive spaceship—icons of an era defined by aspirations for technology, the future, and globalization. Crowdfunded by local farmers, the park embodied collective dreams and a hopeful embrace of globalization during China’s Reform and Opening-Up era, a period of rapid change.
Through moving images and music, the film explores the concept of time difference—between tropical and temperate zones, and between past space dreams and the present—offering the fresh perspective of a younger generation and a lyrical counterpoint to the decoupling between China and the U.S., as well as broader trends of de-globalization and global rightward shifts.
By revealing its own editing process as part of the narrative, Dear Velocity questions whether reenactment can transcend aesthetic gestures without collapsing into sentimentality. It asks: how can we reinterpret and preserve the hopes once embodied by ruins and monuments? And will the time difference between us and the world ever truly disappear?
*The replica of NASA Atlantis was dismantled during the post-production process of the film.
喜欢和纽约、伦敦的朋友讲，家乡的行道树总是在春天落叶——后来发现自己喜欢揣摩的是他们脸上的难以置信。也是在不久以后，我才发现，自己深深迷恋的都市景观和速度，也和世界有着相似的时差：太空竞赛早在八十年代达到巅峰，而家乡的农民，却晚在我出生的那一年才开始集资建造“航天奇观”。长大一点，春游路过；再长大一点，奇观被废弃，等待地产商接手后，发现大家都路过。
我们应该用怎样的姿态回看过去，才得以不美化记忆，同时也不被乡愁吞噬？当我试图抽离自身视角，让一个比我小十岁，正就读于同一所中学的演员替代我检视那些时刻时，一切仿佛又塌缩成审美、景观、符号学。是否存在一种“重演”的路径，能够超越纯粹的审美机制？我们与世界的时差，又真的会结束吗？