Director's Works
Mid-itation Letao Chen
Letao Chen is a filmmaker and artist. Her work explores the Chinese American diaspora, childlike wonder, and the complexities of identity in a hyper- modern era. Embracing the medium best suited to each story, her work varies in style, but remains connected by the question of its own ontology-- often with a touch of humor. Her works employ 3D animation, documentary, video essays, and more.
Holding a MA from Central Saint Martins, Letao's thesis installation film “Mid-itation”, centered on participatory art as a tool for collective healing. Letao’s works have been featured by SHOWstudio, Girls in Film, Coeval Magazine, and Nero Magazine. And exhibited by International Body of Art London, Shorditch Arts Club, and Streetsound System. During her career she has worked on projects for Puma, Paloma Wool, and Zora.
Through storytelling, Letao seeks to bring understanding to places one wouldn’t expect.
Parodying the self-help guru, Mid-itation guides a meditation for the chronically online. This autobiographical short film navigates what it means to be spiritual in the age of extremes. Behind the superficial comedy of internet lingo, the guru seeks to find a place of belonging oscillating between hope and doubt, creation and destruction, comfort and grief. Applying elements of Butoh dance, spoken word poetry, and practices of mindfulness, the film encourages the audience to "shift into a comfortable position" and adhere to its instructions.
