This year we are particularly honored to invite Mr. Timmy Yip, a world-renowned film and stage art director, costume designer and visual artist, to share his insights on Chinese aesthetics and traditional culture in combination with his years of cross-border creative experience, focusing on the theme "Rebirth of Chinese Traditional Aesthetics." In the masterclass, Yip drove home his creation around the abstract concept of "time". In his opinion, “We are unable to apply the whole of history, so vivid imagination needs for compromise.” He also has a very profound and unique insight into Chinese culture.

 

 

Timmy Yip said that in his creative experience there is one thing that has never changed – "I think I am still searching for and exploring a language of expressing ourselves." Yip added that he has always been curious since childhood, and he is never satisfied with a certain given situation. He has been placing himself in an uncertain situation, hoping to discover more possibilities in his own world. In this case, film is where his artistic creation starts. "During the creation of Rouge, I had been obsessed with the world of the 1930s. I started to feel bit of magic as I found that it was different from the space I was in."

 

When it comes to how to make the audience truly feel "pertaining to the time", Timmy Yip believes that there are two fronts to be fully understood: history and the audience’s feelings, "The integration of the two factors allows the audience to increase their awareness and interest in ‘pertaining to the time’.” Also, he believes that there are two important questions –“Why does it happen in the 1930s? Why do we want to make this film today? Everything is a very specific moment, slowly intertwined and generating new possibilities. This is a question I’m most curious about, and is also an issue that must be addressed every time I create a film."

 

According to Timmy Yip, many things are devised in his creation. Since we are unable to apply the whole of history, vivid imagination is needed for compromise to make up for what we can’t look up in museums or many other places. "I have my own insight on art: when it comes to color and scenes, they don't necessarily have to be realistic, but more a sense of imagination inside."

 

 

Timmy Yip said that his interest in stage and installation art originated from a scene in The Banquet, and after that, he began to express his artistic concept through stage plays. "Following my first stage play Medea, I began to experiment with oriental stage forms from traditional Chinese operas to present-day Cloud Gate Dance Theater, and conduct in-depth exchanges and cooperation with various artists."

 

Timmy's stage plays are staged both in China and all over the world. In this process, he has also gained a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. "Chinese culture features a very special front, that is, the exploration of spiritual dimension, something which is totally different between China and the West. This is also part of its charm, but is not easy to be understood by other parts of the world," Timmy explained further. "In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for example, I hoped to narrate a person’s inner world. All matter in the inner world of a literati is natural. You will find that there is another world behind the character, which actually provides another perspective of looking at literati and the world."

 

 

"As I was making a film, I became very interested in time. During this process, I also began exposure to contemporary art and to re-translate many things that I was already familiar with. In the way to realizing this idea, I proposed 'spiritual DNA', hoping that there is a new approach to explain some of the world that data and physics cannot, and then to turn it into a new creative possibility," said Timmy Yip.

 

“I started with some abstract sketches. The things I draw were the world that we can’t see and describe but exists in itself as the real physical world. I found many kinds of future imaginations in voyages of time, and I also started to study artificial intelligence and enrich my imagination of the world with a variety of different forms of art.” Later, Timmy discovered that the world has its own logic, “I began trying to disappear myself and give up creations that sit well with the market, so I started photographing. I photographed the things that I wanted and had a feeling for with my camera. At such time, I myself have a state of spiritual disappearance, a feeling that I am very used to."

 

 

Timmy Yip, an art director of films and stage plays, designed the Chinese delegation’s uniforms for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In the design, he also tried to highlight the unique charm of the Chinese. "Foreign nations pay attention to external, while China attaches importance to charm. Robes are untailored and people’s body are wrapped inside. In fact, there was also the so-called graceful beauty of flesh and fabric in Greece, which can be seen in many sculptures. But when the time came to the Renaissance, garments were more detail- and shape-oriented. As for the beauty of Chinese clothing in ancient times, Gu Kaizhi proposed six rules. Rhythmic vitality is not about tailoring, but the graceful charm of the entire human body."

 

Timmy Yip said that in the process of creating the uniforms, he had been thinking about "what should Chinese people look like", "Later, I wondered if there was a possibility to express who we are in the design. Then, I began to observe many of our athletes, including their state of standing on the podium, their state in ordinary times, and what kind of things they need. If they really stand on the podium, how should they express themselves? The Chinese are not as tall as foreigners. How should the uniforms show our athletes’ spiritual outlook while demonstrating the sporty and physical sense of sportswear."

 

 

The rise of new media in recent years has moved needle on the public's aesthetic taste. Small screens are likely to replace big ones and become the mainstream pastime of people. In this regard, Timmy Yip believes that the film is currently in a transitional period, but it cannot be replaced. "The most valuable thing about the film is that it enables you to experience a world out of reach through some screens, leaving a lot of emotions behind. Because of these films, you know what matters, which will gradually become a taste worth recalling in life,” said he. “On the other hand, technology is increasingly advanced today, and even mobile phones can also shoot great things, so people prefer to make relatively low-budget films. Therefore, you have to shoot either big-budget films or lower-budget ones – there will be such a trend."

Timmy Yip talks about film future

 

Regarding the aesthetic tendency of young people today, Timmy Yip also has his own unique insights. "I think there is now a very special trait in young people. They will build their own aesthetic standards, that is, perfection, in even five features and clothing alike. But perfection does not necessarily mean to be supported by a solid foundation or own broader global perspective. Both in tradition and internationally, diversity rather than perfection is emphasized, because nothing is perfect, and diversity can develop a great number of amazing things," said Timmy Tip who eagerly expects that "Young people should feel and do what they really like, instead of following the herd."