Idea of Practice Work

Practice work is ultimately presented in the form of a multi-screen video installation, which can be seen in the form of artist CANDICE BREITZ's work: https://kow-berlin.com/artists/candice-breitz

Formally the video can be divided into three parts: footage of the INTERVIEW, the FAMILY LENS（HOME MOVIES/IMAGE) and REPRESENTATIONS( PERFORMANCE) of the daily life of the mother and daughter.

FAMILY LENS: Home movies can be divided into two parts, one using the participant's previous video footage and the other using the transcribed researcher's ethnographic observation recordings.

REPRESENTATIONS: This includes the re-enactment of scenes (environments, objects and personal belongings ), and the Preformation of participant dialogue and actions.

Ellis, Carolyn; Adams, Tony E. & Bochner, Arthur P. (2010). Autoethnography: An Overview [40 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 12(1), Art. 10, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1101108.

Autoethnography as the research methdology, using personal experience to illustrate aspects of cultural experience and as a way of familiarising insiders (members of the culture) and outsiders (strangers to the culture) with cultural identity.(Elis.C. 2010) Combining ethnography and autoethnography, from individuals to cultural groups, with a combination of Personal narratives and Co-constructed narratives.

Objectives：

Beginning with an autoethnographic exploration, using personal experience as a fundamental perspective, reflectively research the dynamics of mother-daughter relationships in Chinese matrilineal families.

Conduct a 60-day comprehensive research study, collaborating with the Chengdu Women's Mental Health Centre, to engage with different mother-daughter pairs and ethnography of similar groups based on personal perspectives. Use interviews, home imaging and representations of daily life to develop an experimental video narrative installation.

The video installation will divide into three sections - elements of personal self-representation, narratives co-constructed through interviews, and recreations of daily life - creating a multi-layered narrative that deepens understanding of the matrilineal family experience.

Exhibit the installation, conduct workshops with the audience, then assess its effectiveness in encouraging critical reflection on intergenerational trauma and gendered power structures, providing new insights into gender, trauma, and family dynamics.

Aims:

To critically examine the multi impact of Chinese matrilineal family structures on women by shifting from an initial autoethnographic perspective to broader ethnographic engagement with multiple mother-daughter pairs.

To create a multi-layered video narrative installation that captures and visualizes the emotional complexities of mother-daughter relationships in Chinese society, integrating personal autoethnographic insights, co-constructed narratives, and daily life representations.

To assess the effectiveness of narrative video installations as a research medium that challenges patriarchal structures, fostering critical reflection among viewers on intergenerational trauma and gendered power dynamics within matrilineal family contexts.