D-Normal/V-Essay: Articulate: re-inventing the video essay

"D-Normal/V-Essay" (Dn/Ve) is an English-language on-line video zine platform with bi-lingual presentation produced and executed by researcher Linda Lai, from October 2020 to June 2021. Dn/Ve is one of ten awarded higher-value projects of HK Jockey Club's "Arts Go Digital" initiative administered by the Hong Kong Arts Development from a competitive open call, with the aim to encourage sustained artistic creation through the pandemic period of isolation.
The award allows the planning and publishing of 3 on-line issues of video essays, which included (1) the building of a dedicated website for an on-line video magazine, (2) 3 rounds of open call for video essay submissions; (3) peer review and expert-guest jury with publishable review notes for selected works in every issue; and (4) interpretive editorial that turned selected works into theme-based presentation. This approach was designed to encourage free expression as well as less attempted use of videography such as documentation of art events, demonstration of a technical process and portraits of everyday material objects of a post-human sentiment.
The found themes of the three published issues are: "Ocular Oracular" (#issue 1), "The Ultra-Realist, the Extra-Ordinary" (#issue 2); and "Presencing ...Becoming" (#issue 3). For the initial launch of the video zine, Lai wrote a series of 3 expository essays to introduce the theory, history and expanded possibilities of the essay film and as minor literature in the digital milieu; she also edited an essay series by participating artists. The on-line publication project was also supplemented by a series of 7 face-to-face workshops and screening discussion.
About 150+ videos were submitted during the period, with works from the US, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and East Asia. About 60 video pieces were selected for publishing.
As the grantee and proposer, Linda was also the General Editor and Project Chief for Dn/Ve, in collaboration with the five members of the Floating Projects, which is her on-going participatory art experiment.