In the realm of art of adhering to the traditional aesthetic principle, artists often make use of emotional resonance to move the audience. This kind of deliberately created resonance makes viewers indulge themselves in it and associate themselves with the objects described in works together, thus making them neglect the supposition and fraudulence of art and even lose the ability to judge art objectively and calmly. 

In this work, a monologue script is written to evoke emotional resonance in the audience, then let the actor repeat performing it continuously. In addition, when the performance reaches its climax, these pictures of the actor smoking and drinking appear abruptly in the video, pulling the viewers out from the empathic illusion, forcing them to reflect on how they are deceived and used by the empathy principle in art.

Script

“I come here today, is to sue myself for fraud. You can punish me after my allegation. Be it exile or hanging, I won’t be scared. My fluke mind has been abandoned. Left with me is endless emptiness. I decide to defend myself in court of justice, to prove that I lie in desperation and I cheat for survival. No, please don’t think of me as being insane. I’ve received good education, still I cannot figure it out. I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that all men were just puppets living on the scene and playing their roles in their acts. I found strings growing out from my arms and legs, extending upward to places I cannot see. I was frightened and I tried hard to escape. I hid myself under the desk at work and under the bed at home. Yet the strings, they didn’t just let me go. I took scissors to cut them but only sliced my own hands. I have a family to raise. The society will one day find my abnormality. What can I say? To speak out this terrible truth that I found all of us are just puppets? No, they will think I'm crazy, laughing at me and sending me to an asylum. No, I can’t say anything. I can only keep it to myself. I can only lie! I can only tell the boss I am picking up dropped files under the desk and convince my wife there are coins under the bed. In this way, Your Excellency, I began my lying life and pretended everything was as usual...

What pain I bear! Even kissing my wife goodbye was so much painful as being slain, as I knew her rosy lips were just another piece of fabric. My court, tell me why God want me to carry the huge cross? I have no intention of redeeming anyone, but I am forced to lie daily. Should there be such injustice under the sun?

I can't go to parks anymore. The green grass and beautiful scenery are just exquisite sets. I can't face people either. They are like duplicated robots, saying the same words and doing the same things. Repetition and manipulation are driving me mad. I keep the light on all day long for fear that the black curtain symbolizing ill omen will cover me. I lie on the bed, waiting for my ending, but they arranged my mother for me to confide. Yet how can I share such a burden with an old woman who is going to pass away? So I keep silent. I keep silent all the time until silence replaces darkness and devours me. I can’t stand it! I can’t stand it anymore! I don’t want to tell lies! When can I be free! Sentence me to death! Give me the freedom to die and let me end this show! My court, I am here today to confess because I can’t stand it for a second. I just want to die! Let me die! Give me the death!”