The Blurred Borderlines is a video that uses mixed media, including stop-motion animation, page-turning zine, found objects, collage of relevant news and photographs, and the environmental soundscape; clock ticking and drum beat as a backdrop throughout the video. In this video I use storytelling to explore the unnatural and artificial characteristics of borders, and the ways in which they cut the mobility of people and the elephant herds, as well as the absurdity of bureaucratic systems.
The project is rooted in the research of historical and contemporary events and relations between China, Laos, and Myanmar, as well as in my personal experience of working in the region where the three countries meet. In terms of visual references, I’m inspired by the works of Riccardo Guasco, Wanglingli, Noah Tavlin, and William Kentridge.
In MS4, discussions around the non-natural, artificial characteristics of borders brought back memories of my own confusion during the working experience at the border between China, Laos and Myanmar. During the times of peace in Myanmar, Chinese and Myanmar villagers shared a well along the border. However, after the military coup in Myanmar, one-meter-high sandbags and barbed wire became a physical boundary, not only keeping the Chinese residents safe but also preventing the Myanmar people who were trying to escape from getting across the border. The steel mesh fence established between China and Laos due to strict COVID-19 prevention policies disrupted the migration route of Asian elephant hers. Yet, local officials turned a blind eye to clandestine routes for smuggling, prostitution, and trafficking.
In this story, the border becomes extremely blurred, both as a physical entity, but also as an apparatus made up of rules and regulations. Decision makers who make border policy are not concerned with the real experience of living on the border. However, this policy illustrates complete disregard for the annual migration of elephant herds, while the local villagers may not even be aware of the extent to which their region is about to be impacted economically and environmentally.
To incorporate the theme of seriality, multiples, and repetition more explicitly, sketches and specific visuals are repeated throughout the video, such as repeated imagery of elephants encountering barriers, the steel mesh fence, or bureaucratic symbols to highlight the theme. The visual sequences that loop or mirror each other emphasise the cyclical nature of certain events or bureaucratic absurdities, such as repeatedly shown instances of confusion or misunderstanding among officials, putting emphasis on their repetitive and often nonsensical responses.
