Counter Fictions

Counterfictions is an artwork by London- based artist Chris Zhongtian Yuan, in which the artist experiments with video, fiction, sound, architecture and performance to query political policy and social connections. Counterfictions uses Donald Trump as a starting point, as he builds a fictional wall in the public imagination. The film questions what happens when the world leans towards populism and conservatism. The sound architecture piece constructs alternative realities of ecological collapse after the construction of Trump’s border wall proposal. Layers of sound are combined with shadowy shots of arid landscapes. Facts and statistics from scientists, journalists and the former President's speeches are referenced. The piece reaches a crescendo as a biologist tracks a genetically mutated species along the US Mexico border. The artist received The 2020 Aesthetica Art Prize's Emerging Prize for Counterfictions. This publication is designed by RELATED DEPARTMENT as an archive folder of loose leaves containing research materials, video stills, diagrams, model prototypes and other related files for this artwork.