Finding Solace in/through Solitude
"A mixed media exploration of jazz— combining creative writing, improv dance, and film — as a remedy to personal and cultural pains."
In the Spring of 2021, when the world was just learning how to operate under the looming figure of COVID-19, my best friend, Christine Lin, and I were huddled within the closed borders of Taiwan, reunited once again in our childhood home. While COVID gave me the chance to take a break from school, Christine decided to continue on with her studies. For a final project she asked for my assistance in producing a short film.
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What you see here is the product of Christine's comparative literature course, "Jazz and the Literary Imagination", two dancers (though I stopped years ago), and the city of Taipei. We worked together to create a narrative which progresses through different parts of Taipei, weaving together the complex notion of solitude which permeates an individual, even in the presence of others. Having a background in dance was key to this project: as Christine improvised, my camera flowed in tandem with her movements. Very rarely did we have to discuss angles or frames because one's movement inspired the other's direction- just as jazz artists call and respond to the creations of their bandmates
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To see Christine's final project and the entire film, click here