Movement

About a week ago, my neighborhood was marked as one of Hanoi’s green zones. In the beginning, the zone was separated from the outer world with only a green ribbon. My house is next to the borderline, so watching the activities that were happening between the so-called green zone and red zone naturally became something I do every day. The flimsy ribbon used to isolate people was more like a decoration because people who live inside and outside of the green zone can easily pull it up. I saw people, including my dad, getting caught and fined by the police for walking their dogs. I also saw so many delivery guys because online shopping is now the new normal. This situation inspired me to film a video responding to ‘movement’. I wanted to capture the life that is happening right in the middle of the border and the interactions between the people from the risk-free area with the people from the unsafe area.

This morning I brought my camera downstairs only to find out that the ribbon is now replaced with iron fences and many thrown-out furniture pieces. This reinforcement could be the signal for lockdown extension which is something I am definitely not thrilled about. Moreover, I missed my chance to film the activities that were taking place. This could be seen as a good thing though as I am now more protected. Nonetheless, I decided to turn on my camera because I still want to have footage of the first, and hopefully the last time I live in a ‘green zone’.

I used an Insta360 GO 2 because it has a built-in time-lapse program and can shoot 120 degrees. The images shown are extremely dreary comparing to a few days before. They consist of people throwing out the trash, waiting for shippers, turning their bikes around, my grandma taking unattended styrofoam boxes then leaving them in front of my house for my mom. It is depressing for me to watch because I know very well how this place looked like before the lockdown.

Although the video has fewer movements than I expected, it does not mean they are insignificant. Especially when given the context, I think the story of the mundane life around the iron fence is just as powerful as the busy life around the ribbon fence.