Research Statement

Research Questions

Invisible Vortex is a fictional short film produced using Eastern minimalist aesthetic principles. As a Master's dissertation project at Queen's University Belfast, it aims to explore the expression of classical Eastern techniques - the concept of Liubai (blank-leaving) - within cinematic narrative through a minimalist visual style. It also attempts to utilize the concept of slowness and vertical composition to critique contemporary social indifference in the fast-paced digital age.

The primary research questions are: What effects does the visual style of liubai on narrative? How can the ‘vertical screen’ format prevalent in the digital age be expressed within the traditional horizontal composition of cinema?

Context / Significance

Liubai is a technique frequently employed in Chinese painting and calligraphy, referring to the deliberate incorporation of blank areas within the composition. This practice enhances the overall harmony and refinement of the artwork, creating a philosophical void and imaginative space. This philosophical void originates from the Taoist interpretation of “nothingness.” Michael (2023) argues that the Daoist concept of ‘nothingness’ is the source from which all things arise. It is not a state of absence, but rather a condition that makes all existence possible. In the visual construction of early landscape painting, artists created an aesthetic atmosphere pointing toward ‘nothingness’ by depicting the ‘invisible elements’ within the scenery or by intentionally omitting detailed depictions. This approach liberates the composition from the confines of concrete, visible objects, opening up an imaginative space for the viewer that is both open-ended and generative, thereby forming the core philosophical foundation of the concept of liubai. Guang (2023) believes that this concept of openness enhances the expression of emotion by integrating the subject and characters into the established scene and seeking stillness and simplicity amidst the changes in the world.

This ancient Chinese technique has been adapted into film, gradually developing into a distinct aesthetic. In the early Chinese film Spring in a Small Town, director Mu Fei employs visual language and narrative rhythm with liubai to cultivate an aesthetic atmosphere of subtlety. Extensive use of long takes and minimalist framing conveys characters' emotions and subtle shifts in sentiment through the scenery, inheriting the aesthetic style of traditional Chinese art. As Liu (2008:34) observes, employing scenery as a medium for lyrical expression constitutes one of the most fundamental characteristics distinguishing classical Chinese aesthetics, ancient Chinese culture, and the Chinese humanistic spirit from their Western counterparts. Although the use of landscape as a lyrical medium has a long history in the Western cinematic tradition, as Lukinbeal (2005:3) points out, cinematic landscapes imbue narrative and emotion with meaning and serve as a vital expressive mechanism rather than merely a background element. However, in the Eastern cultural context, landscape goes beyond serving as a medium for emotional expression; it places greater emphasis on the intrinsic fusion and symbiotic relationship between emotion and scenery. Some contemporary Chinese filmmakers, such as Jia Zhangke, Gu Xiaogang, and Bi Gan, consciously employ the fusion of emotion and landscape in their work to preserve interpretive space for the audience, thereby reinterpreting the traditional aesthetics of liubai. They no longer treat natural or urban landscapes merely as subordinate elements of the narrative; instead, through a relatively slow narrative rhythm, they integrate liubai into the visual structure, creating an intrinsic connection with the landscape.

In practice, this approach manifests itself in the use of long takes and the restraint of visual information. However, liubai is not merely an aesthetic overlay at the formal level, but rather points to a structural organization of time and space: by extending time, de-emphasizing plot progression, and constructing open spaces, it guides the audience to participate in the generation of meaning. Consequently, the image shifts from a mere conveyance of information to a process-oriented experience that elicits perception and reflection. So, when liubai transforms from a traditional aesthetic into a structural strategy for film, how does it influence cinematic narrative? In the context of contemporary urban life, how does this visual style reorganize time and space while maintaining aesthetic depth?

Methods 

This study primarily employs a Practice as Research (PaR) methodology, incorporating case studies to facilitate critical reflection on the creative practice. Drawing on Barrett & Bolt's (2019) perspective, each specific project gradually forms and evolves its methodology throughout the research process, making it challenging to design a complete methodological framework at the outset. Accordingly, to address the research questions, the screenplay for Invisible Vortex underwent multiple adjustments based on actual scene conditions to align with the minimalist visual style created by liubai, thereby laying the foundation for simplifying the subsequent visual structure and adjusting the narrative strategy.

In the early stages of the screenplay’s development, additional plotlines and supporting characters were introduced to better highlight the fates of the two main characters and supplement their backgrounds. However, this approach made the narrative overly complex within the limited runtime, and seamlessly weaving the two narrative threads together proved to be a significant challenge. In further revisions, Invisible Vortex abandoned conventional dramatic conflict logic in its screenplay design, deliberately omitting both plot development and resolution. It emphasized characters' actions and predicaments, utilizing liubai techniques to simplify conflicts and intricate character relationships, and leaving more space for audience reflection in this production experiment. This story depicts the restlessness and disorientation experienced by China's youth in metropolitan cities during the digital age. Through two distinct narrative threads, it chronicles the experiences of two disparate individuals sharing the same apartment block. Subtle details such as ‘guns’, ‘hotel keys’ and ‘gift boxes’ implicitly entangle them in a shared act of violence, quietly intertwining their destinies. This approach also allows for the visual omission of extraneous details, thereby emphasizing the primary elements within the frame.

Visually, Invisible Vortex employs extensive use of long takes to cultivate a slow and desolate atmosphere, similar to the aesthetic of slow cinema. Warner (2015:46) believes that extended shooting durations, with greater emphasis on the lags and blanks within the narrative, achieve greater expressiveness through the elaboration of each detail and the reduction of scenes. From a broader aesthetic perspective, this visual strategy resonates with the expressive principle of ‘less is more’ in its practical effects. As Stelmach (2016:108) contends, slow cinema reduces cinematic formalism, simplifying thematic or narrative layers without relinquishing their complexity and semantic potential. This approach of stimulating potential expression through the restraint of visual information is intrinsically linked to the aesthetic characteristics of liubai.

Although there is no direct connection between slow cinema and liubai, a mutually generative mechanism emerges between the sense of slowness created by liubai and long takes. Within the context of the long take, liubai is no longer confined to the minimalist presentation of a single shot but transforms into a state that extends and is perceived across the temporal dimension. Meanwhile, liubai reshapes the function of the long take, shifting its emphasis from mere realism and continuity to a generative visual structure and thereby establishing an intrinsic connection and interdependent relationship between the extension of time and the openness of space.

In the process of practice, to maintain the integrity of the spatial relationship between narrative and imagery, shots often need to unfold continuously from a single perspective, which to some extent facilitates the use of long takes. For example, in a scene where the character sits at a table making a phone call, continuous shooting from the same angle creates a slow rhythm; the narrative unfolds through the character’s actions, not only extending the sense of time but also leaving necessary pauses for subsequent developments. Concurrently, the information and space left unfilled within the frame diminish the directionality of the action, shifting the narrative focus from the behavior itself to its internal structure. This provides the audience with a more open space for imagination and interpretation, guiding their attention during the viewing process from the characters’ actions to the narrative relationships themselves.

On this basis, the minimalist visual style emphasizes focus, simplification and atmosphere, highlighting core narrative elements such as characters, emotions, themes and key details. By simplifying the logic of cinematography, this approach guides viewers to concentrate more on the story itself, encouraging active reflection rather than passive acceptance of the creator's subjective intent. Furthermore, through the deliberate restraint of visual information and the creation of empty spaces, liubai to some extent diminishes the visual prominence of characters and actions, shifting the audience’s attention from character behaviour to narrative relationships and the overall context. This simplification does not imply a reduction in narrative richness. On the contrary, by reducing direct representation, liubai stimulates the audience’s associations and engagement, thereby expanding the semantic space of the imagery. In this sense, liubai is not merely an aesthetic choice, but a strategy that shapes narrative experience, guides perception and supports the expression of emotional tension.

Furthermore, the prevalence of short-form vertical video consumption on mobile devices challenges cinema's traditional horizontal format. De Luca (2016:24) suggests that slow cinema is better suited to viewing in cinemas rather than on mobile media, as vertical framing does not align with the human eye's natural horizontal field of vision. To explore vertical composition within film, this creative practice deliberately incorporated a ‘vertical screen’ concept. Many shots require a composition centred on the subject within the frame, discarding superfluous elements to achieve a vertical screen effect within a conventional horizontal composition. For this purpose, the layout employs judicious use of spatial concealment to create blank space, minimizing all props unrelated to the narrative. This approach lends the composition a more expansive and symmetrical appearance. Such experimentation also offers a fresh avenue for exploring the connection between a visual style characterized by slowness and simplicity.

Outcomes

Through this experimental approach, it becomes evident that liubai, as a visual strategy, is not achieved simply by reducing the content within the frame. Rather, it results from the careful elaboration of every detail and the deliberate omission of elements within the scene, which together influence the composition of the image. This approach simplifies the narrative and leaves the audience with a more open space for imagination. Moreover, this visual approach offers new avenues for exploring the traditional horizontal frames. For instance, by incorporating visual logic similar to that of a phone’s portrait orientation into the composition, it enhances spatial focus and information restraint. However, this subversive technique of de-dramatization challenges the audience's comprehension of the narrative, while the concept of expressing emotions through scenery inherent in traditional liubai techniques becomes increasingly diluted within narratives set against an urban backdrop. This issue also provides aesthetic reference for the subsequent application and innovation of the technique of liubai in film, as the Eastern philosophical concepts expressed through this technique remain relatively unfamiliar within Western cinematic aesthetics. Furthermore, Invisible Vortex offers possibilities for the fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics, such as the film's attempt to blend the Eastern aesthetic of liubai with the Western technique of the long take. This facilitates Western scholars and audiences in more readily interpreting the complex and subtle nuances of Eastern culture.

References

Barrett, E. and Bolt, B. (2007) Practice as research: approaches to creative arts enquiry. London: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd.

De Luca, T. (2016) 'Slow Time, Visible Cinema: Duration, Experience, and Spectatorship'. Cinema Journal, 56(1), pp. 23-42 [Online]. Available from www.muse.jhu.edu/article/633406 [Accessed 23 September 2025].

Liu, S. (2008) Theories of Yijing in Chinese Cinema (Zhongguo Dianying Yijinglun中国电影意境论). 1st edn., Beijing: Communication University of China Press.

Lukinbeal, C. (2005) “Cinematic Landscapes,” Journal of cultural geography, 23(1), pp. 3–22 [Online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/08873630509478229 [Accessed 23 March 2026].

Guang, Y. (2023) 'Flavor Amidst Plainness: An Examination of the Subjectivity of the “People’s Films” From the Perspective of Classical Aesthetics', Contemporary Social Sciences, 8(3), pp. 132-144 [Online]. Available from www.ebsco.com [Accessed: 23 September 2025].

Michael, T. (2023) “Original Nothingness and Wu - Compounds: Re-interpreting the Daodejing ’s Discourse on Nothingness,” Philosophy east & west, 73(3), pp. 698–717 [Online]. Available from https://muse.jhu.edu/article/903369 [Accessed 23 March 2026].

Stelmach, M. (2016) 'Slow expansion: neomodernism as a postnational tendency in contemporary cinema', TransMissions, 1(2), pp. 100-117 [Online]. Available form ruj.uj.edu.pl/xmlui/handle/item/37933 [Accessed 23 September 2025].

Warner, R. (2015) 'Filming a miracle: Ordet, Silent Light, and the spirit of contemplative cinema', Critical Quarterly, 57(2), pp. 46-71 [Online]. Available from onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/criq.12196 [Accessed 23 September 2025].

Filmography

Spring in a Small Town (Mu Fei, 1948, CN)

Peer Reviews

All reviews refer to the original research statement which has been edited in response to what follows

Review 1: Accept submission subject to minor revisions of written statement (these should be outlined in detail in the review).

Invisible Vortex is an elegant and mysterious short film that showcases Eastern minimalist aesthetic principals as described by filmmaker Yinze Le. Beautifully composed and set in an atmospheric Chinese city, the two central characters are portrayed in seemingly everyday moments where banality and tension collide. Li writes that they wish to explore the idea of liubai, described as a technique often seen in Chinese calligraphy and painting where areas of the paper and canvas are deliberately left blank. This is in order to focus the eye and mind on the sections that are there. 

This exploration has been highly fruitful. The two main characters are often framed in doorways in horizontal compositions, offering us a glimpse into a room rather than a more usual establishing shot. This delightful tension is not eased by the filmmaker; we only ever see a portion of the filmed spaces. Alongside this, we only experience a portion of this story. A man and a woman who live in the same room but are never there together, and seem never to meet each other, are both experiencing some kind of personal difficulty, but this is never fully explained. The obliqueness of the narrative could be frustrating but the stunning cinematography and setting, rich sound design, engaging cast and the confidence of the director sufficiently reward the viewer. As Li writes, strange and unexplained clues such as hotel keys, gift boxes and a fake gun all suggest violence and disorder that remains enticing and unexplained. For all the rich rewards of the film I did find the placing of the title in the film at a very late stage to be a conceit. 

This is strong work that presents an original contribution to knowledge. Some clarification and contextualisation of the accompanying statement will help make this clear. What is meant by a “philosophical void” in terms of how liubai works? Please relate the idea of a “concept of openness” to a visual style that is all about what cannot be seen?  Employing scenery as a medium for lyrical expression is also a long-established Western cinema practice and some reference to this tradition would be beneficial. 

I am interested in the idea that these onscreen blank spaces guide viewers to concentrate more intently on the story itself, rather than just the character in frame. It would be good to have this expanded. It would be fruitful also to note other practitioners who leave “more space for audience reflection” visually, for example, Wong Kar-wai, or Chinese filmmakers. This will help place the work and this research into a broader context. Finally, only in the last sentence is the concept of the long take mentioned and this feels core to the experimentation here. It feels important to move this earlier in the piece and to include further discussion of the relationship between liubai and this technique. 

Review 2: Accept submission subject to minor revisions of written statement (these should be outlined in detail in the review).

Invisible Vortex is a beautifully considered, compelling and significant short film and work of creative-practice research. The film successfully implements liubai in a cinematic, modern-day urban context, a filmic setting punctuated by the contradiction between visible excess and the ‘invisible’ dynamics and structures of technology. The choice to have internal frames within frames creating compositions akin to vertical social media videos, is an impeccably designed and innovative formal choice. 

The researcher/filmmaker displays a deep understanding of how visual style and narrative converge, with the film not adhering to conventional dramatic narrative form. There is a change that may not always be physically seen but is deeply felt and unsettling. The film’s structure reflects the expansive and sometimes invisible structures of technology. As a viewer, you are simultaneously drawn into the increasingly detached world of the film. The film’s implementation of liubai does not feel like a gimmick, but a deeply emotional, philosophical, metaphysical yet somehow palpable anchor for the film. I especially found the final scene, where the “digital” manifests itself the most physically in the film through a wave of screens amongst physical water, particularly impactful. 

The filmmaker/researcher should be commended for showing thoughtful and deep synthesis between filmmaking and research. The film and its accompanying research statement successfully answer the research questions posed. The reflections on the synthesis of the ‘long take’ with liubai were particularly well-justified. The research statement also makes clear what is being added to the body of knowledge and how concepts and findings from the research project could be explored in future creative practice research projects.

Most of my suggestions are about how I’d like some elaboration on certain statements in the research statement. Various examples of how liubai is portrayed in the film via expansive and/or claustrophobic space can be seen in the film. However, a few sentences on the specific ways and examples you achieved liubai in different settings and visual densities (i.e how the opening scene uses an expansive yet patterned wall, while other scenes use featureless walls) would greatly benefit the research statement, much like how the researcher explained how ‘vertical screen’ aesthetic was achieved. Further elaboration on what specific challenges and changes were made to the screenplay and filmmaking methods would also be greatly beneficial to the statement. 

The outcomes portion could also benefit from restating that the simplification of narrative and space for imagination was achieved “through the elaboration of each detail and the reduction of scenes.” The outcome portion effectively states the outcomes of the practice, the addition to knowledge as well as how these concepts can be further explored. 

Overall, Invisible Vortex is an impactful and original work of creative practice research. I recommend it for submission subject to minor revisions/additions to the research statement that I’ve suggested in previous paragraphs. 

All reviews refer to the original research statement which has been edited in response