Symbols 苻呺
Symbols is an experimental hand-drawn animation about text, symbols, language and communication. The project consists of a series of visual explorations with text characters, stemming from the idea that how can textual symbols be understood and communicated apart from their original linguistic context? It deliberately blurs the boundaries between natural language and artificial language, as well as the interaction between language and visual elements, to challenge the audience's perception of language contexts.
The single-screen video installation has been exhibited at Slash Arts Gallery Boat in London and The Holy Art Gallery's Art on Loop. Selected for the Brighton International Animation Festival, Feinaki Beijing Animation Week, International Short Film Festival Canton, MicroActs 13 Artist Film Screening, Big Cartoon Festival. Won the Best Super Short Animated Award (about 1 min) at 13 IAFF GOLDEN KUKER – SOFIA Festival.
Press
A mesmerizing journey that challenges our perception of language and context - Short Films Matter
Ke Ren's chaotic text animation smashes every language barrier - Creative Boom
Symbols: i fotogrammi animati di Ke Ren - Artwort
Drawings ongoing
Inspired by the written and recorded nature of textual symbols, I try to use a combination of traditional and digital media to explore the expression of texts especially in the context of digital communication. The media used include brushes, ink, Chinese paper, and digital software.