3 Hours Lipsticks, sete traditional water jousting shield and jousting pole, white French girl’s outfit @Sete, Infr’action,14.09.2013 My uncle used to call me the Don Quixote. I was excited to discover the famous sport in Sete: Water Jousting and noticed it’s a game for boys only. I covered my body with red lipsticks to create an image of a very feminine modern water jousting warrior. During the three hours performance I began unexpectedly crying.
It was a staged performance, also a short film with personal narrative. I grew up in China until 19 years old, my early communist education and China’s economic boom has deeply embodied in my roots. They still strongly control my thoughts and behaviour. In this performance I used 27 bright red lipstick to cover my body! The red body symbolized my childhood belief and my confusion of losing my cultural identity in the globalized consumer culture. The final dance image in the film is a photographic remake of Matisse’s The Dance. I acted the dancers, behind the red surface my identity and sexuality become mysteries.