Psychedelic layerings: Fluid identities of a self-placed young Chinese immigrant in the U.K.

Abstract

This study aims to explore the complex interplay of cultural identity and artistic expression, situated within my personal experiences in the UK, in which I have imagined or self-placed myself as a young Chinese immigrant through the lens of cultural identity within my privilege as a PhD student. My goal is to address the gap in understanding the nuanced perspectives of a self-placed young Chinese immigrant in Britain, wherein I navigate a sense of dual identities amidst prevailing stereotypes. Through a Practice-led Research approach, this project employs psychedelic experimental film techniques, including non-linear narratives and psychedelic aesthetics, to portray the author's journey of self-placement as a young immigrant in Britain through the lens of cultural identity. The methodology integrates psychedelic aesthetics with auto-ethnography methods in the process of filmmaking, providing a personal exploration of identity which reverberates into the experiences of other members of my community. The key findings attest that psychedelic aesthetics, with its fluid style open to varied analysis, serves as an apt medium for relaying the multifaceted nature of a transnational/cultural persona. My psychedelic film practice will demonstrate how cultural identity places ‘self’ within the context of an anti-essentialist binary form that will create a ‘hybrid space’. This research, therefore, discusses the theoretical intersection of post-colonialism and transnationalism that focuses on cultural identity. The overall research centres around an important question, how can we identify the sensation and affection in psychedelic film elements as a creative method for the perception of our cultural identity in the transnationalism of Chineseness. My film’s visuality serves as key evidence that presents some fresh perspectives for experimental filmmakers involved in transnational experiences.