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one day

2006, Haikou; performance, 30 min

One day in the autumn of 2006, I came to Haikou, the capital city of the southern-most province of China. When I was passing by a crowded and old street, I was shocked by a scene. A young man had a difficult time walking with a bent back; his wrist was handcuffed to his ankle. He was followed by a man resembling a policeman in plain clothes. Based on my deduction, the young man was probably a thief being caught just a few minutes ago, and was on route to the police station. As an artist, what can I do, except for restaging this happening? I planned to play the role of thief myself again in order to experience the desperate feelings. But my ankles were too broad for the handcuffs. I located a thin young artist to play the role. When the artist walked on the street, the street became a special stage for exploring human nature. In this stage, the "Criminal" was more like an animal; the pedestrians projected their doubtful eyes on him and guessed what had happened. Nobody asked whether this person shot by the camera was an actor or a real criminal. This performance is

© lin yilin 2018

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