Dreamerfly View 1

Shiyi Li’s practice encompasses collaborative performance, contemporary jazz music, multi-screen animation projections and live art performances. This work consists of a short, animated film incorporating original music composed by James Owston. Li’s work presents the narrative of a Chinese woman who has recently migrated to the UK, exploring the awakenings brought to her as a result of entering a new space. It considers themes of struggle, loss, loneliness, balance,
and rebirth by comparing a macro world to a micro world. Li simultaneously places the universe, the individual and nature at the centre of the narrative. For this piece Li was inspired by the ancient Chinese philosophical narrative ‘A Butterfly Dream’ by Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu, which highlights tensions between illusion and reality. This work was part of the 'Thirteen Ways of Looking' exhibition (2 October - 13 December 2020)