When Shanghai was under lockdown from April to June 2022 due to the pandemic, the streets of the city were completely empty. When the city was quiet, the government-authorized vehicles on the highway sounded much closer. With the roar of cars whizzing past, I looked around, but saw no sign of anything, as if a ghost had just passed by. The attempt to follow these phantom vehicles was also an act of search — the search for a “more familiar” reality, which did not return as expected with the ease of the epidemic.
This project delves into the recurring feelings of uncertainty and powerlessness that individuals in China have experienced throughout the Covid-19 era and continue to grapple with today. The anticipated return to a “more familiar” reality has failed to materialize following the ease of the epidemic, leaving us to question its very existence. By shedding light on pre-existing vulnerabilities in the economic and social structure, the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the fragility of our systems and instilled a lingering fear of unforeseen disasters. However, there is still room for a bit of escapism. Some hide away in memories or imaginations; some seek positive signs in life for meaning and hope; some project thoughts and desires onto things ethereal and fleeting — the common goal is to leave behind the unsolved problems, just for a minute.