YUQI WANG | ARTIST WEBSITE
A Film Directed and Written by Yuqi Wang
WEIGHTLESSNESS
Weightlessness, 11 minutes, 2023
4K Video | 1920*1080 | Colour
Stereo (R L) | double track | 48 kHz
Country of Production: United Kingdom
In the not-so-distant future, a catastrophic disaster befalls the Earth, leading it to gradually revert to an ice age. Due to human waste of Earth's resources over the past few decades, even centuries, the planet's existing resources are no longer sufficient for human survival. As a result, humanity is forced to seek a new home.
‘Please respond. Spaceship is about to crash!’
The space pod is about to crash, and a radio transmission is playing some fragmented sounds. Astronaut Alex is attempting to establish a connection and communicate, but there's no response.
Alex lands, clad in her spacesuit, walking on this lush green grassland. This land is nothing like the lifeless and cold future Earth; it's vibrant with life. She removes her helmet, breathing heavily without purpose, her face revealing a sense of post-apocalyptic enjoyment.
She discovers this planet to be incredibly mysterious and astonishing. There are peculiar creatures and plants, along with strange lights and illusions, giving the impression that this planet is manipulating human perception and reality. She proceeds to explore the area with a collection of sophisticated instruments, evaluating whether this planet is suitable for human habitation. The planet's gravity differs from Earth's, causing her to stumble as she collects data, moving clumsily like a child. Surprisingly, despite the similarities to Earth, she doesn't encounter any living beings.
Suddenly, on a sunny afternoon, an elderly lady with hair turning gray is sitting. Wrinkles and furrows covering her face, wears reading glasses and occasionally hums a tune. Calmly reading a newspaper, we notice dry cracks on the skin of her hands as she turns the pages.
'Whoo,' the sound of a boiling kettle interrupts the scene, and the old lady turns to prepare tea.
In the forest, rain starts to fall. Alex halts her work, seeking shelter from the rain. Fog rises, fear and concern evident on her face as she quickens her pace. The surrounding trees seem to encroach on her, like they intend to swallow her. She sprints forward, and amidst the mist, she spots a small cottage.
The old lady tends to a garden outside the cottage, occasionally picking fruits and vegetables. One day, she excitedly returns to the cottage with a basket full of strawberries.
'Huh? What's happening?' she exclaims.
Slicing into the strawberries, she finds them hollow, like plastic shells adorned with strawberry exteriors. Puzzled, she gazes at the empty strawberries, unsure of how to handle them. Trying two more strawberries, she is met with the same emptiness.
Alex arrives at a cottage. Inside, it's vacant and aged, devoid of any signs of habitation. After surveying the surroundings, she peers out of a window, observing the rain outside. She decides to stay in this place for a while.
The old lady continues to live a solitary life, and everything returns to normal, as if nothing had occurred. She repeats the same routine: waking up, eating, reading the newspaper, listening to the radio.
As the rain stops, Alex spots someone outside. She rushes out of the cottage to find the old person. However, the old person and the cottage have vanished. The mist thickens due to the rain. She desperately searches for something, continuously seeking.
Until... "Hey! Wake up!" a shout wakes Alex up. It was all a dream. Alex sees her teammate and tightly grasps their hand, as if holding onto a lifeline. Her teammate helps her up and they set out to find the others.
Yet, Alex's face is one of terror. In her eyes, they are a group of monsters! She collapses in fear, but her companions don't see anything unusual. While they conduct tests and whisper among themselves, Alex's fear persists. Except for her, no one notices anything strange.
In the forest, a yellow and black-spotted creature floats in the air, gentle and serene with the breeze. It glides through the water, its tendrils causing ripples and emitting calming sounds.
The camera shifts, and the creature's tendrils are now on Alex. What is she doing? Is she running away, or heading somewhere?
Alex returns to the cottage once more. Upon seeing the old lady, she attempts to ask where she is. However, no matter how loudly she calls, the old lady remains unresponsive.
A creature becomes one with this continent, sustaining the planet's ecosystem with its life force.
In Alex's dream, she perpetually lives in the past, surrounded by blue skies, white clouds, and green grasslands, aging in a loop, time remaining unchanged.
Or perhaps
Alex never left Earth;
Earth was never destroyed.
Copyright © 2023 Yuqi Wang
All rights reserved
Weightlessness, 2023
A Sketch by Yuqi Wang
CREDIT LIST
Casting
Alex Shi Feng
The Old Lady Yuqi Wang
Alex’s Colleague Lucy Meeber
Alex’s Colleague Yuqing Zhang
Alex’s Colleague Ning Wang
Director Yuqi Wang
Assistant of Director Ciel Zhang
Director of Photography Ciel Zhang
Assistant of Camera Ziyu Jiang
Gaffer Bangfei Li
Grip Zhijun Wang
Production Designer Yuqi Wang
Art Director Lucy Meeber
Art Coordinator Ashley Tan
Art Coordinator Diane Huang
Art Coordinator Wenhao Yao
Art Coordinator Ning Wang
Executive Producer Yuqi Wang
Executive Producer Ciel Zhang
Producer Rachel Wang
Line Producer Maxine Ma
Line Producer Diane Huang
Assistant of Production Wenhao Yao
Editor Yuqi Wang
Special Effects Artist Zhilin Ding
Colorist Haoxuan Wen
Sound Designer Xijian Jiang
Music Supervisor Xijian Jiang
Voice-over Zheyu Zhang
Special Thanks
Shooting Support Darg Wood Mark and Beth Stobo
Prop Support Men at Work
Swing Driver Martin Fleming
Addison Lee Driver Jim Lawrence
Private Driver Ciel Zhang
Technical Support University of Westminster
Art Support Chen Hao
Accommodation Support Tong Li
Food Support Yiwen Wang
No reproduction accepted.