Unhinged is a video installation that transforms a discarded car door from a 2006 Brilliance Auto vehicle into a lens through which viewers can explore the rapid urban transformation of Shanghai in 2021. By projecting the city's iconic skyline onto this relic of the past, the work creates a dialogue between history and modernity, inviting reflection on the transient nature of urban environments.
The vehicle, Zhonghua Junjie (中华骏捷), once proudly marketed by Brilliance Auto (华晨汽车) as a fusion of European car-making philosophy and BMW heritage, becomes an artifact of Shanghai's relentless urban growth. The vehicle was discarded under China's mandatory scrappage policy, which enforces the retirement of cars that no longer meet current emission and technological standards. This regulation, as outlined in the 2013 Compulsory Motor Vehicle Scrap Standards, mandates that vehicles failing to meet safety, emission, and technical inspection criteria must be scrapped.
Rear projection mapping on a film screen
The juxtaposition of this relic of "technological obsolescence" against soaring skyscrapers serves as a critique of the relentless pursuit of progress, highlighting the ephemeral nature of technological and urban advancements. The recorded cityscape, viewed from a moving vehicle, places the audience at window level, immersing them in a first-person perspective that blurs the lines between past and present, and between observer and participant.
Car door setup with seats and carpet
Close-up of car doorExhibition
2021, Unlinked. Group exhibition at Interactive Media Arts, NYU Shanghai, Shanghai, China.
