For a story to be understood, what matters is not simply a history of events as told through the media, but rather the (re)construction and visualisation of the memories, both individual and collective.
In the exhibition The Making of Crime Scenes by artist Hsu Che-Yu, in collaboration with scriptwriter Chen Wan-Yin, they present two video works that employ visual and auditory cues to convey these intricate, hidden truths and emotions. With their complex and multi-layered narratives, the pieces challenge viewers to critically rethink and engage with the storytelling process through a personal and shared lens.
The video The Making of Crime Scenes begins with Wu Dun, a gunman embroiled in a politically motivated murder. As the story develops, viewers are introduced to the multifaceted personas of Wu: filmmaker, killer, gangster, and patriot. The historical event is reimagined—and by interweaving elements of the political assassination with scenes from wuxia films, a genre of Chinese martial arts and chivalry cinema, a strong nationalist motive underlying the protagonist’s intentions is revealed.
Lacuna begins with Hsu's family memories and extends into two local criminal cases. The incidents had originally been portrayed distinctly in the public eye: as a manga-style 3D illustration by a news agency and also as a pencil drawing created by the police. Hsu consulted the storyboard artist and police officer in order to explore their graphic techniques for reconstructing the images. He then integrated his findings into a narrative encompassing elements of collective memories, spectacular societal occurrences, and an event rife with political implications.
There is no so-called 'correct' history, because it is all told by people, and people's memories themselves are also somewhat fictitious, commented Hsu. Just as unwinding silk from cocoons reveals the hidden facets of reality, the storytelling in the exhibition, The Making of Crime Scenes, sketches an uncanny, and more robust, perspective of the stories we hear and share.
