"Namazanshou"

            

    My exhibition, Namazanshou, utilizes aspects of cinema, and combines them with the 
immersive qualities of an installation. A soundtrack reverberates throughout the gallery space 
and digital montages projected on two walls are adjacent to one another. It is a two-channel 
media installation that has a nonlinear narrative.  
 

   Namazanshou is the giant creature depicted on the first channel. Global warming has 
unnaturally altered the Earth’s weather patterns, resulting in abnormal temperatures, and the 
monster is forced to prematurely migrate in search of a hospitable environment. Namazanshou is 
portrayed by an actor in a latex costume, and resembles a cross between a catfish and 
salamander. It also exists in a world filled with digitally altered backgrounds and cardboard 
buildings. The crude appearance of the character and props are also superimposed with computer 
generated water, fire, and smoke. The overall aesthetic of the first channel combines old and new 
visual effects, making it an abstract fantasy realm that vaguely resembles the real world, a 
distortion of the Earth and its ecosystems.  
 

   On the second channel, archival videos are recontextualized to form a parallel narrative to 
Namazanshou’s conflict. Footage of military exercises, evacuation drills, and demolitions 
illustrate how humans respond to the presence of the creature. Both channels are synchronized 
with each other. Scenes of air pollution and landfills emphasize the creature’s motive, as well as 
referencing a real global issue. In addition, the soundtrack adds a feeling of unease despite the 
otherwise silly looking projections. The immersive and visual aspects serve as a means to spread 
awareness of humanity’s flaws. I hope this installation directs peoples’ attention to the tension between animals and humans.