How Was Nüwa’s Body Made? is an immersive animated short film centered on the figure of the Chinese goddess Nüwa, exploring the co-creative nature of myths and narratives.
Project Video
Abstract
"What, after all, is the subject in the making of a goddess’s image? How Was Nüwa’s Body Made? is an immersive animated short film centered on the figure of the Chinese goddess Nüwa, exploring the co-creative nature of myths and narratives. Rather than seeking to recover a “real” image of this primal creatrix in Chinese mythology, the work underscores the reciprocity inherent in every act of invention. In the Chinese creation myth, Nüwa fashions humans from mud and water, breathing life into them. But how has human imagination, in turn, produced Nüwa? Using Procreate Dreams, the project constructs a heterogeneous time in which symbolic codes from different historical moments enter into dialogue. The animation begins with viewers breathing toward the goddess, an embodied interaction that activates her presence. By creating a visual dialogue between the symbolic codes that have shaped Nüwa’s image across history, How Was Nüwa’s Body Made? revisits her story as a process of continuous imagination, revealing the role of human agency in this reciprocal creation."
Photos
Project Logbook
Website: https://sheliaxie.cargo.site/
Keywords: Narrative, Animation, Femininity, Divinity, Creation Myth
Copyright Statement: AI-assisted music generation was developed using Suno and further edited by the artist.