Artwork Appreciation
Most of the artist Lu Chih-Kai’s recent works reveal the interrelationship between the body and its field through the various camera movements and perspectives made possible through aerial photography. As he was passing an egret colony on his way home one day, he accidentally discovered that the birds were not afraid of people approaching on scooters, but if they passed by on foot they would disperse. Thus he wanted to shoot a work that explored the relationships among humans, machines, and egrets, and he created this piece, On the Roof. He used an aerial drone and camera to immerse himself in the birds’ habitat and capture their behavior as they returned to their nests in the evening. When viewing the work, the viewer gains the perceptive of an egret returning to its nest, slowly flying toward its roost—and then sees the artist hiding there, wearing white clothes and pretending to be a member of the flock. He uses his ingenuity with camera movements and screen design to hide himself in the picture and create a strange visual experience for the viewers.