choir xylophone

Alien Song

Semi-documentary about the state of being an alien
Medium: Video, DVD

Elevator pitch
Alien Song is a semi documentary (A bit of mockumentary) project trying to convey the state of mind of being an alien, composed of three short videos, "AlienSong", "How Is It Going For Dummies" and "What's In A Name - Tsui Hung Project".

1. AlienSong
In "AlienSong". I taped myself in everyday situation, capturing my life in the new city.

2. How is it going for dummies?
As a foreigner, I often felt puzzled how to respond to the simple English sentences people exchange everyday. For instance, even "Wazzup?" and "how is it going?" were tricky for me in the beginning.
I thought I understood them, but I apparently didn't know how to respond in a culturally appropriate way. This is a tutorial for dummies like me who want to know what meaning is behind these rhetorical questions.
View video swf (8MB) / mov (12.9MB) (5' 18")

3. What's in a name - Tsui Hung project
What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet...
Whatever you go by, you are still you. However, if somebody insists on calling you the wrong name, it doesn't feel too rosy. Here, Tsui Hung, who 's having a problem with people pronouncing her name, teaches us how to call her correctly. It's about considering the identity of another human being fairly.
View video swf (4.7MB) / mov (7.4MB) (3' 13")

A little history behind Alien Song
Alien Song was originally the title of a song that composer Gihieh Lee and writer Aaron Jafferis wrote for their musical You Are Not Me, which had its first reading at Saint Marks Theatre in downtown Manhattan April 2003.
I participated in the show as a tech/lighting and photographer.

After the show, I decided to adapt the title for my semi-documentary project.

Actors/Interviewees
Tsui-hung Fang, Elliot Malkin, Carrie Chan, Faye Chou, William Lee and many others for interviews

Screening history
ITP show: Spring 2003

This project is strictly copyrighted by Inhye lee.