︎︎This project as my final project for my M.A. degree, driven by my lifelong fascination with monsters. The project primarily explores the hidden stories behind various movie Kaiju, aiming to uncover why humans have been creating monsters since ancient times.

︎ Me
︎ Goldsmiths, University of London
︎ 2018

︎ Goldsmiths, University of London
︎ Personal works

︎

This project as my final project for my M.A. degree, driven by my lifelong fascination with monsters. The project primarily explores the hidden stories behind various movie Kaiju, aiming to uncover why humans have been creating monsters since ancient times. It also delves into the symbolic representations embodied by Kaiju and attempts to envision what Kaiju might have looked like in 2018. In pursuit of these goals, I drew inspiration from Susan Sontag's article, which explores the relationship between science fiction movies, society, and the enduring fascination with dinosaurs and monsters.

As a culmination of my research, I created a 15-minute film and an accompanying essay that reflect my findings. Additionally, I produced printed works that provide further support for my exploration of Kaiju research.

I have titled this 15-minute film "The War of Millennium," drawing inspiration from a fascinating internet legend. According to this legend, a monumental conflict with extraterrestrial beings occurred in the year 2000, ingeniously crafted to deceive individuals born after that year into believing its authenticity.

The film, titled "The War of Millennium," takes place between 1999 and 2000, coinciding with the initial introduction of the internet to the general public. Building upon extensive research on fear and inspired by Douglas Adams' work, "How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet," the film aims to showcase the audience's apprehensions and concerns about the internet. The Kaiju element serves as a metaphorical technique to symbolize humanity's collective fear of the internet. Through this approach, the film takes the form of a Kaiju documentary, providing a unique perspective on the subject matter.

I utilized an abundance of Chinese characters, scanning them meticulously to preserve their authentic textual appearance. These Chinese characters symbolize different facets of fear and are presented in a visually impactful manner at the exhibition in the UK. The large-scale and high-contrast display of these characters evokes a profound sense of unease, effectively conveying the unsettling atmosphere surrounding the subject matter.

To further accentuate the immersive nature of the "mockumentary" film, I have meticulously crafted additional elements that reinforce the film's concept. These include a meticulously curated compendium chronicling diverse kaiju data, an extensive array of DVD discs, and various other supplementary materials.

In order to collect more people’s concern and fear about the contemporary society,  I decided to hold a workshop for the first year MA students. This workshop is kind of like a questionnaires for my Kaiju research to find to how people convert their fear to their own Kaiju.

After a productive afternoon workshop, I gained numerous intriguing insights, including people's fears and apprehensions towards various unfamiliar things. Surprisingly, these fears actually contributed to my ability to enhance the final outcome.