INA CHEN
INA CHEN

BECOMING SEEN

From Mao To Me II

They cannot represent themselves; they must be represented.

The construction of identity [...] involves the construction of opposites and 'others' whose actuality is always subject to the continuous interpretation and reinterpretation of their differences from 'us.' In any cultural encounter, and in any interpretation of that encounter, there is a projection onto the Other of what is already fixed in the Western observer's mind. The Other is reduced to something knowable and defined in advance, without allowing for the complexities of real, lived experience.

-------Edward Said, "Orientalism"

 

an experimental game-based documentary

INA CHEN

Identification of Grandpa

Becoming Seen investigates the "Othering" of immigrant identities through an experimental game-based documentary. Drawing from Edward Said's concept of the Other, the project explores how immigrants and non-Western people are displaced, simplified, and reduced by dominant systems of power. These identities, stripped of nuance, are subject to shifting perceptions shaped by historical, political, and cultural contexts—a phenomenon that has intensified in recent years.

01 // EXPERIENCE FLOW

The documentary blurs traditional formats by combining elements of game design and video art.

It begins with the audience selecting and customizing their characters, only to have these identities and environments dissolve into abstraction upon entering the experience. This blur—erasing voice and cultural complexity—mirrors the reduction immigrants face, often reduced to statistics or symbols of policy.

As the audience interacts with the environment, the characters’ stories and presence gradually emerge from the fog, confronting the slow and often painful process of reclaiming identity and becoming seen.

INA CHEN

1. Character selection: The audience begins by selecting and customizing a character from three generations, each representing a point in the migration era.

INA CHEN

2. Into Abstraction: However, upon entering, the chosen identity and environment dissolve into abstraction.

INA CHEN

3. Reclamation: As the audience interacts, the character’s story emerges, transitions from indistinct to clear, and the 3D world gradually materializes.

INA CHEN

4. Repetition / Reflection: Audience is guided to a family dinner scene, then invited to select another character to begin the journey again

02 // METHODOLOGY

Combining real-life interviews, historical archives, 3D scans, and digital manipulations, the documentary centers on a three-generational Chinese immigrant family—one of countless Others, suspended in the liminal space between personal reality and the world’s flattened, reductive gaze.

Becoming Seen reclaims identity from the margins, challenging the frameworks that perpetuate Othering and transforming the act of seeing into an act of understanding.

INA CHEN

Concept Art

INA CHEN

3D Scans // Majority of the environment will be built using 3D location scans

INA CHEN

Objects // selection of collected historical materials, in the process of accessing more

In a world increasingly dominated by generative AI, which amplifies the reduction and compression of complex identities, AI tools often promise to "upres" or enhance, yet rely on datasets that reinforce mechanisms of simplification, leading to a "downres" of identity. Becoming Seen embarks on a different upres journey—one that restores depth and history.

INA CHEN

Concept Mockup // 3D scan abstraction test

INA CHEN

Concept Art

03 // CONTEXT & VISION

Becoming Seen expands on Generation of Books, examining "Othering" on a larger scale. It shifts from the personal to the universal, bringing into focus the unseen stories of those marginalized by dominant narratives. Reading more about From Mao to Me: Generations of Books HERE. Upcoming artist residency for this project HERE.

I envision the completion of this game-based documentary as the beginning of a larger archival project in the future. One that collects diverse voices through a similar format. The goal is to create a platform where the experience of being "Othered" can be seen, felt, and understood in new and profound ways.

INA CHEN

BECOMING SEEN

From Mao To Me II

They cannot represent themselves; they must be represented.

The construction of identity [...] involves the construction of opposites and 'others' whose actuality is always subject to the continuous interpretation and reinterpretation of their differences from 'us.' In any cultural encounter, and in any interpretation of that encounter, there is a projection onto the Other of what is already fixed in the Western observer's mind. The Other is reduced to something knowable and defined in advance, without allowing for the complexities of real, lived experience.

-------Edward Said, "Orientalism"

 

an experimental game-based documentary

INA CHEN

Identification of Grandpa

Becoming Seen investigates the "Othering" of immigrant identities through an experimental game-based documentary. Drawing from Edward Said's concept of the Other, the project explores how immigrants and non-Western people are displaced, simplified, and reduced by dominant systems of power. These identities, stripped of nuance, are subject to shifting perceptions shaped by historical, political, and cultural contexts—a phenomenon that has intensified in recent years.

01 // EXPERIENCE FLOW

The documentary blurs traditional formats by combining elements of game design and video art.

It begins with the audience selecting and customizing their characters, only to have these identities and environments dissolve into abstraction upon entering the experience. This blur—erasing voice and cultural complexity—mirrors the reduction immigrants face, often reduced to statistics or symbols of policy.

As the audience interacts with the environment, the characters’ stories and presence gradually emerge from the fog, confronting the slow and often painful process of reclaiming identity and becoming seen.

INA CHEN

1. Character selection: The audience begins by selecting and customizing a character from three generations, each representing a point in the migration era.

INA CHEN

2. Into Abstraction: However, upon entering, the chosen identity and environment dissolve into abstraction.

INA CHEN

3. Reclamation: As the audience interacts, the character’s story emerges, transitions from indistinct to clear, and the 3D world gradually materializes.

INA CHEN

4. Repetition / Reflection: Audience is guided to a family dinner scene, then invited to select another character to begin the journey again

02 // METHODOLOGY

Combining real-life interviews, historical archives, 3D scans, and digital manipulations, the documentary centers on a three-generational Chinese immigrant family—one of countless Others, suspended in the liminal space between personal reality and the world’s flattened, reductive gaze.

Becoming Seen reclaims identity from the margins, challenging the frameworks that perpetuate Othering and transforming the act of seeing into an act of understanding.

INA CHEN

Concept Art

INA CHEN

3D Scans // Majority of the environment will be built using 3D location scans

INA CHEN

Objects // selection of collected historical materials, in the process of accessing more

In a world increasingly dominated by generative AI, which amplifies the reduction and compression of complex identities, AI tools often promise to "upres" or enhance, yet rely on datasets that reinforce mechanisms of simplification, leading to a "downres" of identity. Becoming Seen embarks on a different upres journey—one that restores depth and history.

INA CHEN

Concept Mockup // 3D scan abstraction test

INA CHEN

Concept Art

03 // CONTEXT & VISION

Becoming Seen expands on Generation of Books, examining "Othering" on a larger scale. It shifts from the personal to the universal, bringing into focus the unseen stories of those marginalized by dominant narratives. Reading more about From Mao to Me: Generations of Books HERE. Upcoming artist residency for this project HERE.

I envision the completion of this game-based documentary as the beginning of a larger archival project in the future. One that collects diverse voices through a similar format. The goal is to create a platform where the experience of being "Othered" can be seen, felt, and understood in new and profound ways.

INA CHEN