With this recognition of the here and now, there is a certain optimism to the festival. Chen noted this, mentioning that at Lynnfox, "our education made us all cynical," to an extent that "we are always basically dissatisfied with whatever we do." But the possibility of positive effort, of creating something, has dispelled some of the cynicism. Because he can also say, "we're really doing something, and I really like what we're doing."
Perhaps even more interesting, this kernel of optimism comes in spite of and in full awareness of a de-emphasis of the individual and a lower appreciation for individual ideas. To point, appropriation was a theme of the pop art of the 1960s and 70s; in Onedotzero it ubiquitous. But this is just a reflection of contemporary society. The originality of single ideas is held in low esteem; what people recognize is how you put a number of ideas together. In his London architecture school, Chen said he and his schoolmates copied each other's ideas all the time. "Our only rule was that you can copy whatever you want, as long as you make it better."
Chen's process, the one currently espoused by the collective Lynnfox, is basically Darwinian. For any idea, multiple permutations are created, and the one that solves the problem best wins. Human brains make decisions the same way.
So three heads are better than one, in the case of Lynnfox. And in the case of Onedotzero, hundreds of heads are better than one. The festival, which merely claims to promote digital film, ends up providing enormous possibilities through its many voices. They range from fully computerized worlds to documentaries that use handicams for some of the most intimate filmmaking yet seen. And if those voices include Hope and The Pod, I think it's fine. Some people find it funny.
The Onedotzero festival will show daily at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum from 10am to 5pm through next Sunday. Recommended viewing includes the Spike and Mike Documentary Double, a pair of documentaries by Spike Jonze and Mike Mills playing at 3:30pm Tuesday and Saturday.
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