Jiayi Lin

Continuation

Imperial Lane, a vital connection between Queens Street and Fort Lane, now looks desolate. People in the city walk through it but don’t stop to pay attention to it. My aim for the design is to revitalise the space and bring Aucklanders back to Imperial Lane. The giant screen people will encounter in front of the building creates shadow movement of people walking past, which presents an immersive cinematic experience. The screen plays a crucial role in drawing people’s attention and inviting them to walk into the screen and experience the play with shadows. This time, there is no script or cinematographer; everything happens naturally. They are not only the audience but also the performers on the screen. Ultimately, the public will work together to create and complete an urban play.

The journey of being an audience and a performer starts the moment people walk in. Walking along the giant screen installation towards the auditorium, the shadow of people’s movement projected over the screen. The audience at the auditorium is watching the movement of the shadow. It becomes a part of the show. Then they realise they have just walked past the screen and engaged with the performance as they watch other’s shadows at this particular moment. There is a moment the boundary between the performer and the audience is vague. The show “Madama Butterfly” is going on. The shadow continues.