No.27 Tong Poo Road
AI Generated Video, 5mins, 04.2023
“No.27 Tong Poo Road” is an AI – generated video. It combines old photos from 20 years ago and the narratives of family members, creating a surreal film that blends reality and fantasy. This work serves as a testament to our family history and the urban transformation that has taken place.
I was born in an old house in Xia Village, Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province. That house holds precious memories shared by my family and me. Twenty years ago, with the rapid development of the city, the old house was demolished to make way for a new residential area. Subsequently, my family embarked on a 16 – year wandering life in rented houses, and we finally returned to our hometown in 2016.
I was only three years old at that time, and my memories of the old house are rather vague. However, my parents spent their entire career there, and my sister’s childhood and youth were also spent in that house. When I asked my family members about what the old house looked like, each of them could tell a unique story, and they had different impressions of the details of the house from different periods. These intricate yet precious memories inspired me to create this work.
I’ve decided to delve deep into the exploration of memory enhancement and narrative creation through AI technology. I gathered the few remaining photos of the old house and listened intently as family members recounted every detail related to it. Then, by leveraging the image – generation model, Diffusion, I made an attempt to recreate the old house that has been lingering in everyone’s dreams.
This work isn’t merely an application of AI technology; it represents my exploration of the value of AI in documenting and enhancing family history. For families like mine, with a rich cultural background yet lacking in documentary records, this is a unique way to document and preserve diverse experiences, which helps to promote cultural exchange and understanding. Through this film, I’ve been able to delve deeper into my family history, gain a more profound understanding of the significance the old house holds for us, and recognize the pivotal role it plays in shaping and organizing our family memories. I hope to perpetually preserve this precious family memory in the form of art through this work.
