Chang Chao-Tang

Early collaboration between Chang Chan-tang and Christopher Doyle documenting the friendship of their inner circle in Taiwan during the early 80s.

A biographical documentary filmed in 1999 on the occasion of Chang Chao-tang (張照堂) receiving the National Award for Arts (國家文藝獎) in the Fine Arts category (美術類). In the film he is credited as both director and editor under the pseudonym “Gao Shang-tu” (高尚土)—a name derived by decomposing the character “tang” (堂) into its constituent elements “gao” (高), “shang” (尚), and “tu” (土). Semantically, the pseudonym implies a counter-reference to the notion of temple-like, institutional “high culture,” redirecting emphasis instead toward the vernacular and the earthy—suggesting that what is truly “noble” lies in the force emerging from the “soil” (土) of the people. For this reason, the film may also be understood as a semi-autobiographical documentary that carries an element of self-writing within its particular historical context.

During his period working in Taiwan, Christopher Doyle made this experimental short film documenting the families of friends around him. This film received an Honorable Mention at the 4th Golden Harvest Awards (1981).

Face in Motion depicts Chang Chao-Tang from the shoulders up, dressed in a light tank top, shaking his head and contorting his face. The background is pitch black, and he is lit with an almost otherworldly glow. The artist recorded at two frames per second, rather than the typical twenty-four, speeding up the erratic movement. He occasionally flips upside down or appears in blue and green colourised layers on top of the colourless original. A high-intensity electronic track, ‘Pulstar’, by the Greek musician Vangelis, accompanies the video and accentuates its volatile energy.