Swell

2026
Two channel video installation

Wolf Boxuan Chen

Swell is a two-channel video installation unfolding through the logic of the fairy tale, where characters exist less as individuals than as instruments of consequence. A female figure is silenced by an apple lodged precisely within her throat, while an opposing male figure, reduced to primarily a mouth, traces the apple’s origin in pursuit of placing it back into the throat it is perfectly fitted for, dedicating a tragedy for a romantic destiny. 

Created through live digital puppeteering in virtual reality using a game engine, the animations retain an awkward, handmade quality that recalls the crudeness of traditional puppet performance within a contemporary digital medium.

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