Originality is rare and requires risk. Of course, great risk can also result in great rewards. Beidi Wang leaps eagerly into risk. This Chinese born producer/writer/director is acclaimed for her work on films like the Independent Shorts Bronze Award-Winning Cyber Baby, Wax and Wane (awarded Best Film at the Asian FEEDBACK Film Festival), and others, but proof of her vigilant commitment to exploration has never been more evident than in the music video “A Peek of Sludge” which won Best Asian Pacific Music Video at the Munich Music Video Awards. In contrast to the status quo music videos which rely upon beauty shots, rapid edits, and status appeal, “A Peek of Sludge” attains an identity that is original in every sense. The sounds are a blend of traditional with modern electronic while the visuals mix reality with ancient Chinese spiritual beliefs. “A Peek of Sludge” is a combination of varied Asian influences and artists which proves with a doubt that there are new avenues to be explored through the collaboration of those from different perspectives.
The creation of “A Peek of Sludge” began with Beidi’s fascination on blending contemporary and ancient styles. She informs, “I was fascinated by the combining of traditional Chinese instrumental music with electronic composition. I wanted to make a music video to refresh the audience’s eyes with Asian tribal art and the symbiosis between humans and nature. I was also influenced by Japanese New Wave Cinema and Chinese folk rhythmic hip-hop.” Ms. Wang approach Chinese rapper Dragon Wu to be involved and supply the music for this video while turning to choreographer/dancer/artist Jas Lin to contribute a strong visual tone. A noted and influential queer Taiwanese/American artist, Jas Lin delivers an immensely powerful performance and presence in “A Peek of Sludge” as a mythical feminine creature bound by chains. The general storyline that Beidi constructed was deeply rooted in improvisation during the shoot to maximize the performances of the three characters in this video. Jas Lin professes to the positivity of this approach noting, “I felt empowered and affirmed by Beidi both in pre-production and on set to create something true to my artistic expression.”
“A Peek of Sludge” cannot be defined as narrative but rather more accurately as experiential. This music video refers to the traditional Chinese ceremony nuo wu from Jiangxi, China, where the Han people would don masks of ghosts and gods to worship nature as a form of sacrifice. The inner state of these traditions stems from human beings’ innate fear of the unknown. The video begins with a feminine creature immersed in the water, fearful of capture. Later, we see two imposing creatures escorting her in chains through the field while a monk (rapper Dragon Wu) follows along. These frightening figures in a surrounding of open fields adorned with flowers and grass is surreal; when choreographed dance movements begin, the results are startling in the most favorable of ways. For American viewers, every aspect of this video is unfamiliar and highly intriguing. While the response to “A Peek of Sludge” was profoundly positive at events such as NOWNESS Asia, the CineAsian Film Festival, and the Munich Music Video Awards, its creator focuses more on process than accolades. Beidi Wang conveys, “The most memorable part for me was creating an impossible candidly ridiculous concept with a group of talented people. I was able to absorb thoughts, ideas, and artistic approaches from every angle of the production. Even though we were a micro-budget production, each of us was able to experiment with something we’d never tried before. We had to walk miles and miles on the production day in Malibu and captured what we were shown by the nature. There were a lot of first-time experiences and laughable accidents, but we made it through with a positive attitude.” It’s been said that there is no longer anything original, only the fusing of influences in a new way; if this is true then Beidi Wang has crafted the epitome of this in “A Peek of Sludge.”
Writer: Coleman Haan