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Gao Zanmin: Drawing in the sand
Gao Zanmin: Drawing in the sand
My name is Gao Zanmin, I'm 38-years-old this year. I graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. I guess you could call me an artist.
Usually, to express my love for life, I dabble in animation. My relationship with the Olympic Games revolves around the dynamic art of sand animation.
I recently created a piece of sand animation focused on the spirit of the Olympic Torch and its ability to unite the world. This work has been put online; I'd say about a million or so netizens have seen it. I want to use this modern, innovative art concept to articulate my emotions for the Olympic Games.
Many people are probably not familiar with sand animation. On a piece of white glass, sand is sprinkled and used to create pictures. At the same time, the sand may be removed to form other pictures. Sand is continually added or taken away to create an ever changing short story.
The first time I was exposed to sand animation was in 2004, where it was highlighted at a child's birthday party. Here, I also saw the sand animated works created by a skilled Portuguese artist. My immediate obsession with sand animation was exposed 15 days later, when I completed my first work, "Great Wall."
Gradually, sand animation gained in popularity in China. Last year, I created a sand animated story for CCTV 10, earning much praise from domestic and foreign media.
When the Olympic Torch Relay was protested against in various parts of the world, we Chinese people were furious! I kept thinking about what I could do to express myself, and then the answer came to me: sand animation. This is how my Olympic piece was born. First, lots of "lucky clouds" and the shadow of a Chinese person…clear away some of the sand on four sides, and the picture suddenly turns into the Olympic Torch; using sand to create an image of a lit Olympic Torch felt to me like I was lighting the actual Torch itself. Some mountains in the distance, a running torchbearer, the wandering Great Wall, and the sand animation reaches its zenith. In the last scene, I changed the background into the "Bird's Nest," surrounded by people holding hands.
I felt a rare peace after I completed the Olympic art piece. I put the video of my work online that very night. Very quickly after its posting, several internet sites placed my video on their main page, and there were tons of positive responses. One ethnic Chinese fan living abroad told me that while he was watching my animation, tears were sliding down his face.
The Olympic Flame will never be extinguished, he said.