NVSHU 女朮 for NOWNESS + NOWNESS CHINA „A Turntable of Skills and Sices“ – FESCH.TV

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Decode the secret language of sisterhood in this evocative visual tapestry

For hundreds of years, women in China’s agricultural province of Hunan have kept a language hidden from the world. Mothers and sisters would communicate with each other in an exclusive writing system called Nvshu [nǚ shù]. Unintelligible to men, this secret language gave women the power to express their sadness and hopes in an era that barred them from political and social life.
Inspired by this rediscovered history, musicians Lhaga Koondhor and Amber Akilla founded Shanghai-based DJ collective NVSHU. Their aim: to organize DJ workshops that engender a rebellious and fearless attitude for female-identifying people who want to take ownership of their lives. 
“The film translates globally digestible visuals within Chinese ‘culture’ into a series of nonsense actions”

Working with London-based fashion photographer Joyce NG as this film’s director, NVSHU is a coded visual interpretation of the unique nature of female kinship. “It explores sisterhood,” says NG. “The ripple effect of women inspiring women and team-building, while letting each individual shine.” 
NVSHU distorts references to cliché Chinese customs and culture—such as manicured gardens, tea ceremonies, rice, and tasty hotpots—by turning these traditions into farce.

The characters for sisterhood (姐妹) spread and multiply across the screen as vermillion, ochre and cerulean vignettes of female activity and play intersect with the narrated lyrical poem.