Fantasized documentary of Los Angeles area power industry
in a guise of the Disneyland.
Multilayered projection mapping,
Customized fog curtain,
3D modeling,
Large format photography
PowerLand 3D projection mapped onto liquid particles, Toned Inkjet prints Opening on Feb.19th 2015 @The Main Gallery, California Institute of the Arts
I began this project with photographing oil refineries and power plants late at night. For me those giant occupied landmasses were so monumentally gigantic, immersive and mysterious that I failed to escape from their "gravitational" attraction. Looking upward, the most beautiful “cloud” gradually fleeing away from my eyes, was the polluted emission. I read them as castle, Sleeping Beauty Castle in the Disneyland. Half century ago, 90 percent of petroleum that supported the Allies was produced by the US during WWII. From 1940 to 1945, daily oil production in the United States raised from 3.7 million barrels to 4.7 million. Oil was one of the most crucial conditions in supporting wars, or, initiating wars, in the case of Gulf War in the 1990s.
During the same period, over 90 percent of Disney employees and resources were devoted to the production of training and propaganda films for the US government in an effort to increase support to the war. Ironically, both energy industry and media industry helped to create an outcome in the sense of Utopia: U.S. Highway System (Highway as Habitat by Roy Stryker) and the Disneyland. The energy resources ensured a better life, while Disneyland’s goal is to realize people’s dreams.
To further illustrate the relationship between the power industry and Disneyland, here is a list of potential connections: Power Industry in California Disneyland, Anaheim Number of barrels/watts produced per day Number of visitors per day Photographic monumentality Immersive fantastical environment I like it, but I cannot access it, so I created my own. Components: Toned Silver Gelatin Prints, Aerial 3D Scanning, 3D Modelling and Animating, Projection mapped onto liquid particle mass, Wooden housing structure. Pollutions and danger Scandal and secret Pure architectural functionality in efficiency with little human-orientated features Illusionistic effect to make people think the castle is much taller than its reality
