Lishan Qin | Ink River: An Interactive VR Journey of “Jianghu”

 
This project utilizes the technology of Virtual Reality to materialize and introduce the different interpretations of the Chinese concept “jianghu” (江湖). It is inspired by the transposing representations and multiple dimensions of interpretations of the text “jianghu ”. It is one word that carries much philosophical thinking and describes social conditions. The interpretation of this word originates from the Daoist discussion by Zhuangzi of spiritual liberation and individual freedom. It later spans the genre of Chinese martial arts (Wuxia) novels depicting the netherworld of misfits who rejected systems of authority. In modern times, it is used to describe the paradoxical side of relationships within societies. It portrays how different perspectives can lead to different interpretations, and how different dimensions of thinking can lead to various media representations. These features of Jianghu align with many characteristics of the VR technology that allows for connecting different dimensions of worlds and different perspectives together. So far, many projects have focused on one aspect among the multiple transposing interpretations of jianghu. But little attention has been put to the introduction about the connections between the philosophical, ethnical, and aesthetic aspects of these different representations. Thus, in this project, I utilize Virtual Reality to materialize and introduce the different dimensions of the concept “jianghu” (江湖).

The player became the Taoism philosopher Zhuangzi in this project. He dreamed that he became a fish. But he did not know that he became a fish at first. In the exploration of the different scenes of “jianghu” he encountered, he gradually realized where he is, what is jianghu, and what he has become. Eventually, he went back to the river and lake and finally became ready to forget about all the attachments in the jianghu and achieve more understanding of spiritual liberation.