Lisha Chen was born in Chongqing, China. She is an artist focusing on labor mobility and family relationship. Her art practices are mostly conceptual art pieces with interdisciplinary approaches including film, sculpture, performance, virtual reality, fashion, comics, etc.
Where the algorithm hasn’t reached: Sociality in Chinese food delivery platforms
Documentary film still, 2021
In this documentary, I made a comparison between Uber eats and Huajuan. Uber eats is an algorithm driven platform, people working there feel this job is a ghost work, just like a lonely machine, never stoping, with out any social regularity. However, I found a Chinese food delivery platform, Huajuan. Huajuan is a mannually managed platform, where 95% customers and drivers are Chinese. A delivery driver work there told me that this is the most social job he has ever done. And as a new immigrant, who can not speak English, he found a kind of freedom in this job.
In this documentary, I made a comparison between Uber eats and Huajuan. Uber eats is an algorithm driven platform, people working there feel this job is a ghost work, just like a lonely machine, never stoping, with out any social regularity. However, I found a Chinese food delivery platform, Huajuan. Huajuan is a mannually managed platform, where 95% customers and drivers are Chinese. A delivery driver work there told me that this is the most social job he has ever done. And as a new immigrant, who can not speak English, he found a kind of freedom in this job.
An Uncontrolled Expression: A Butter Keyboard
Performing objects/film still, duration 12 mins. 2020
I made a keyboard out of butter with no characters. Then I made a video where I engraved letters on the keyboard randomly, and then typed. In the process, I kept hesitating because the letters are messy, and it took a long time for me to find a letter. By creating this out of control, personal, no response, cumbersome typing/expression experience, I meant to critique social media that tries to make people controlled.
I made a keyboard out of butter with no characters. Then I made a video where I engraved letters on the keyboard randomly, and then typed. In the process, I kept hesitating because the letters are messy, and it took a long time for me to find a letter. By creating this out of control, personal, no response, cumbersome typing/expression experience, I meant to critique social media that tries to make people controlled.
Three Big Cookies and One Small:The Weight of Gene Differences
Film Still, duration 7 mins.
"Do you prefer your stepmother more or birth mother?”
A Man Watching Himself/Worms In A Father’s Mind
Film still, duration 4 mins.