Gentle Bird and War Machine is a performance art piece collaboratively created by me and German artist Raimund Rosarius at the Red Gate Gallery. This work explores the tension and confrontation between war machines and fragile life through a highly contrasting and conflict-driven scene.

At the start of the performance, Raimund Rosarius shouted the names of fighter jets, such as J-11, J-22, and J-37, in a piercing, guttural voice, using Latin. As one of Europe’s most ancient languages, Latin has played a significant role in the continent's cycles of decline and revival, and it persists today with remarkable vitality. The fighter jet names, as symbols of modern warfare and national defense, were cold and unyielding in their delivery. Meanwhile, I folded paper airplanes and threw them into the audience. These paper planes flew haphazardly, occasionally striking the audience, evoking a faint sense of virtual fear while gradually revealing the meaning behind the fighter jet names shouted by Raimund Rosarius.

To further heighten the sense of conflict, I pressed forcefully onto Raimund Rosarius’s body, creating a palpable sense of oppression as he struggled to call out the names of the warplanes. This action symbolized the confrontation between flesh and steel, the clash of softness against hardness, and made tangible the cold threat of war machines to individual lives. Simultaneously, I folded small paper birds, which flew alongside the paper airplanes toward the audience. The birds, delicate and fragile, stood in stark contrast to the rigid planes, serving as a metaphor for resilience and life itself—a quiet resistance within the cold narrative of war.

The entire performance created a strong sense of confrontation and absurdity. The coexistence of icy steel and living, breathing humanity appeared inherently antagonistic. This opposition symbolized not only the cruelty and indifference of material civilization but also the profound contradictions in humanity's relationship with the world. In this world of steel, human fragility and helplessness are starkly exposed, with spiritual crises and pessimism pervading the air. Through the interplay of visual, auditory, and physical conflicts, this performance art piece revealed the cold nature of the world we inhabit and the antagonistic state of existence, inviting the audience to reflect on the meaning of war, life, and humanity's future.