Panacea

Video, 2021

2:22, 1920*1080

This work is a video which explores societal attitudes and human behaviors when facing future challenges, reflecting on how people construct meaning and cope with uncertainty.
The concept of "Internet Koi" refers to individuals who go viral online due to luck or fortune. Many believe that following and reposting such tweets can bring good luck, which made me curious about why people trust these seemingly impractical things. During the pandemic, facing the unknown, many absurd phenomena emerged, similar to historical events. In the 1990s, China experienced a Qigong fever driven by the end of the public health insurance system, propaganda, and a compliant society.

This fever, fueled by media and community leaders, led to widespread participation and ultimately resulted in absurd phenomena. Many pseudo-scientific frauds emerged during this fever, similar to those who post "Koi" tweets. History often repeats itself. In future societies, when faced with great challenges, will people turn again to absurd crazes? This question reveals their underlying fear and anxiety about their inability to control their fate. The film fictionalizes a Qigong ritual to create a cure and leaves an open ending with multiple interpretations. Did the ritual succeed, and who is truly healthy? By comparing historical and modern phenomena, I hope to illustrate the complex human reactions to uncertainty and prompt the audience to think about the deeper motivations behind these behaviors.