A group of emerging artists are bringing Liverpool’s past to life - and have Black Mirror-style warnings about its future.
Independent cinema and gallery FACT is launching four new artworks that will be available to view in-person and online from next month, as part of FACT Together 2022. One of the artists, Dongni Liang, has blended archive images and computer generated footage to reimagine the migration of the Kudzu plant within the Stanley Dock area of Liverpool, an important site for trading during the height of the British Empire.
Long used in traditional Chinese medicine, Kudzu - which is a creeping vine that is native to much of East and Southeast Asia - was introduced to the West in the early twentieth-century and later considered an invasive species. Explaining the concept of Kudzu Whispers, Dongni, a 33 year-old from Crosby, said: "I kind of reimagined the past and the future through the plant invasion of Stanley Dock.
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“I was trying to give a glimpse of how intertwined how human and non-human migration can bring to the city, and also express the love of nature and how the ecosystem can affect the urban landscape.”
Dongni said the piece will promote discussion around decolonisation and globalisation. She found solace in visual art during a difficult part of her life.
Dongni said: “I studied arts at John Moores University. When I finished my masters, I'd been working for a solid four to five years. Then Covid happened and got into a really bad mental state and found my computer is like a sanctuary for me.
“I can create 3D stuff on my computer. I got into a routine and started to want to speak about the issues and want to express myself through art.
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