Video
Description
Experimental Film
Blue / Alzheimer’s Disease / Intergenerational Parenting Experience
Granny Blue is an experimental film that use color and sound narrative to express unspoken grief over my grandmother's Alzheimer's. The film combines psychological and optical theories of the color blue to illustrate my impression of her shifting from vibrancy to a muted, blue-toned state. This personal narrative aims to evoke a shared feeling among those with intergenerational parenting, presented via holographic projection and AI-augmented AR prisms to create an immersive space.
Alzheimer's Disease
I was brought up by my grandma. With her by my side, I had a colorful childhood. However, when I entered middle school, she returned to her hometown, and we gradually drifted apart. One year ago, I took her a phone call, her first word was, “Who are you?”. That was the moment I realized she got Alzheimer’s. I looked up at the blue sky, trying to hold back my tears. At that moment, all my emotions turned BLUE...
Intergenerational Parenting
Intergenerational parenting refers to a childcare model where the parents and grandparents share the responsibility of raising children, and has become a strategy for 80% of urban Chinese families.
The probability of two people encountering each other is just 0.00487. It is a blessing to have our lives intersect with our grandparents in their later years.
Theory of Blue
Psychological Theory
Optical Theory: Why is the Sky Blue
Solar Spectrum
The light emitted by sun consists of seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet. From red to violet, the wavelengths decrease.
Rayleigh Scattering
When sunlight interacts with molecules and particles in the Earth's atmosphere, Rayleigh scattering occurs. The scattering intensity of blue light (about 400-450nm) is about 10 times stronger than that of red light (about 650-700nm), which causes blue light to fill the entire sky.
Narrative Structure
My stories of growing up with my grandma parallels the optical theories of the blue sky.
Color X Sound Narrative
This film adopts a non-traditional narration with color and sound, which can leave viewers space to feel and imagine.
Visual Experiment
Color Narrative
Childhood
Colorful and dreamy ; Metaphor: swimming fish
Friends
Youthful and dynamic ; Metaphor: orange soda
Parents
Serious and dignified ; Metaphor: heartfull words
Academics
Boring and dull ; Metaphor: bell, ripple
Love
Romantic ; Metaphor: breeze, poetry
COVID-19
Charming but dangerous ; Metaphor: virus, blossom
Alzheimer's
Sorrow and pity ; Metaphor: ocean, tears
Sound Narrative
Childhood
Sound: Universe, Dust, Fast passage of time
Grandma: "Ponytail or braid?", "Hold my hand", "Don't eat too much snack, grandma has cooked your favorite food!"
Friends
Sound: Children’s bell-like laughter
Friends: “Come join us, we’re just waiting for you!”
Grandma: “Don’t play outside too late. Come home early!”
Parents
Sound: Airplane taking off
Parents: “Grandma is getting old now, let her go back to hometown to have a rest.”
Grandma: “Come to see me when you’re free!”
Academics
Sound: Writing, Paper, School bell
Narrative: “Grandma misses you so much!”
Love
Love: “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?...”—Sonnet 18, Shakespeare
COVID-19
Sound: Virus blooming, News broadcast, Coughing, Lung breathing, Ambulance, Heart monitor beeping
Spring
Sound: Guitar, Blossoms, Birds
Me: “Hi Grandma!”
Grandma: “Who are you?”
Alzheimer's
Sound: Rising Tide, Blue Ocean, Water dripping, Ticking of time, Light bursting, Childhood laughter
Visual Metaphor
Technique
TouchDesigner
Blender
Pr
Holographic Projection
I hope to present Granny Blue in a more immersive way, making the audience to feel as if they are surrounded by the universe and the ocean while watching the film. Therefore, I chose holographic projection as the medium, leveraging its spatial and three-dimensional qualities to enhance the sense of presence and emotional resonance.
Exhibition
Space Design
Part 1: Holographic Projection
Part 2: AR Prism
Visitors are encouraged to interact with the AR prism to generate their own intergenerational stories and project them into the space, creating a collaborative exhibition environment.
By Chenfei Liu
Contact: +86 17310140714
Email: liuchf2022@shanghaitech.edu.cn