Ophrys Apifera
Mingze Gao
Advisor: Sarah Ibrahim
To my very own divine being, my immortal moonlight.
Project Description
Ophrys Apifera is a video sculpture that examines the nature of love as an inherently subjective act of projection and the relationship between the subject and the object of affection. At the center of a dark, empty room stands a pure white wedding dress sculpture. Two projectors cast colorful, dynamic imagery onto the dress and its flowing train, transforming it into a canvas for layered emotions and shifting visions.
The piece is named after Ophrys Apifera, a species of orchid whose flowers resemble a female bee. This flower attracts male bees for pollination through mimicry. However, the tragedy is that the bee it mimics is now extinct, and modern bees no longer recognize it. As a result, the orchid must self-pollinate, a process that lacks genetic diversity and may eventually lead to its extinction. The artist names the piece Ophrys Apifera as a reflection of empathy toward the orchid, which imagines the appearance of a lover and even transforms into that imagined appearance, even though the lover has long since disappeared from the world. And this orchid itself will be trapped in this imagination, detached from the entire ecosystem, and lonely as it moves toward its own end.
The human tendency to project one's imagination onto a lover mirrors the behavior of Ophrys Apifera in the story: both spontaneously project their imagination and immerse themselves in these projections, gradually falling into an inevitable end.
Technical Details
Hardware:
The wedding dress is made from projection fabric: Extra Wide 16'5" White Voile, IFR, purchased from Rose Brand.
The mannequin used to display the dress is a standard display mannequin with a metal pipe for support.
Two Optoma Tech GT2100HDR Projectors are used, mounted on the ceiling grid with Magic arms.
Software:
Projection mapping is achieved using MadMapper.
Video creation and editing are done using Adobe After Effects.
The project can also incorporate real-time visual effects using Modul8 in conjunction with MadMapper.
The projected content includes a digital representation of an oil painting, created with oil paint on canvas. The painting was digitally scanned for use in the projection.
Research/Context
My project was deeply influenced by artworks, literature and psychological theories. I was inspired by Hanjo by Yukio Mishima, which explores love as a projection of longing and idealization. This theme resonated with my concept of love as an emotional projection rather than a connection with the true essence of the object of affection. Sigmund Freud's The Ego and the Id (1923) provided further insight into the psychological mechanisms of projection, specifically how individuals project their desires and ideals onto others, shaping perceptions of love. Additionally, Stefan Zweig’s Letter from an Unknown Woman had a profound impact on the project. This novel examines love as a form of spontaneous projection, echoing my own exploration of the relationship between the lover and the loved.
In terms of theoretical support, my work delves into how love, as a human emotion, involves projecting subjective desires onto an arbitrary object. This idea aligns with evolutionary perspectives and the psychological concept of "completion," where individuals project unattained ideals onto their chosen objects of affection. The aesthetic choices in the work, such as the use of a wedding dress, are also informed by cultural and societal perceptions of love and beauty. Drawing on both Chinese and Western cultural influences, the wedding dress is used symbolically, representing the ultimate aspiration of love, beauty, and idealization. Feminist considerations also play a role in the work, as the wedding dress becomes a vessel for exploring love as an idealized construct, rather than a reflection of the institution of marriage.