The Love Behind
光緒的感受
In East Asian history, “listening from behind the curtain” (chuílián tīngzhèng) stands as one of the most iconic forms of regency and political intervention, most famously represented by the relationship between Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi during the late Qing dynasty. This political arrangement maintained the illusion that power still rested with the emperor, while in reality, it was the empress dowager who held control from behind the scenes. Historically, this dynamic has often been portrayed through simplified characterizations: Guangxu as weak and ineffectual, and Cixi as a domineering figure of power. However, our understanding of such events has long been shaped by dominant historical narratives and power-driven interpretations, leaving little room for deeper insight into the psychological realities or relational logic of those involved.
In contemporary capitalist society, power relations are no longer always visible or explicitly named. They lie dormant in intimate daily relationships—between parents and children, partners, teachers and students, supervisors and subordinates—often cloaked in the language of care, guidance, regulation, and decision-making. A closer look at everyday consumption patterns reveals that the question of “who decides what is bought” is in fact a subtle operation of control. This project uses a Bluetooth-enabled device system to construct a micro-scale metaphor for these invisible structures of control.
In this design, the controller can remotely program a daily list of permissible consumption items- food, clothing, and daily necessities- via a mobile app. The data is stored in a gold-colored device and transformed into digital input embedded in a black “consumption coin.” At the start of each day, the controlled person retrieves this coin from the device and uses it as their symbolic purchasing token. At the point of sale, the user inserts the coin into a reader; the screen then displays a “permissible range,” showing both the minimum and maximum price they are allowed to spend, as well as a preference score that indicates how much the controller favors that item. This not only defines what can be chosen but also implicitly communicates a system of value judgment.
Crucially, when making a purchase, the actual payment amount is no longer fixed—it fluctuates based on the controller’s preferences. For example, a mango priced at 20$ may suddenly show as 26,000$, making it unaffordable, effectively denying the purchase. Conversely, if the controller wants the item to be acquired. For instance, if they wish the child to eat more fruit- the system may display a discounted price of 5$, encouraging the purchase. The 15$ difference between real and displayed price is automatically deducted from the controller’s bank account in the background.
Is the loss of autonomy necessarily a bad thing? And more provocatively, Does the controller truly feel satisfied in this arrangement? Has the controlled individual lost their sense of self-awareness in the process? This is a design deeply laden with metaphor and speculation. It transforms the overt ritual of historical political power into a quietly embedded structure within today’s interpersonal relations. It compels us to ask anew: In whose eyes are our daily decisions truly ours? Are we freely choosing, or merely enacting a prewritten script? And when we are being controlled, is it uncomfortable. Or, paradoxically, does it make life feel a little easier?
In contemporary capitalist society, power relations are no longer always visible or explicitly named. They lie dormant in intimate daily relationships—between parents and children, partners, teachers and students, supervisors and subordinates—often cloaked in the language of care, guidance, regulation, and decision-making. A closer look at everyday consumption patterns reveals that the question of “who decides what is bought” is in fact a subtle operation of control. This project uses a Bluetooth-enabled device system to construct a micro-scale metaphor for these invisible structures of control.
In this design, the controller can remotely program a daily list of permissible consumption items- food, clothing, and daily necessities- via a mobile app. The data is stored in a gold-colored device and transformed into digital input embedded in a black “consumption coin.” At the start of each day, the controlled person retrieves this coin from the device and uses it as their symbolic purchasing token. At the point of sale, the user inserts the coin into a reader; the screen then displays a “permissible range,” showing both the minimum and maximum price they are allowed to spend, as well as a preference score that indicates how much the controller favors that item. This not only defines what can be chosen but also implicitly communicates a system of value judgment.
Crucially, when making a purchase, the actual payment amount is no longer fixed—it fluctuates based on the controller’s preferences. For example, a mango priced at 20$ may suddenly show as 26,000$, making it unaffordable, effectively denying the purchase. Conversely, if the controller wants the item to be acquired. For instance, if they wish the child to eat more fruit- the system may display a discounted price of 5$, encouraging the purchase. The 15$ difference between real and displayed price is automatically deducted from the controller’s bank account in the background.
Is the loss of autonomy necessarily a bad thing? And more provocatively, Does the controller truly feel satisfied in this arrangement? Has the controlled individual lost their sense of self-awareness in the process? This is a design deeply laden with metaphor and speculation. It transforms the overt ritual of historical political power into a quietly embedded structure within today’s interpersonal relations. It compels us to ask anew: In whose eyes are our daily decisions truly ours? Are we freely choosing, or merely enacting a prewritten script? And when we are being controlled, is it uncomfortable. Or, paradoxically, does it make life feel a little easier?
在東亞歷史中，「垂簾聽政」無疑是最具代表性的干政形式之一，尤以清末的光緒帝與慈禧太后之關係最為人熟知。這種政治安排，讓權力表面上仍屬於皇帝，實則由太后幕後操控，形成一種既公開又遮蔽的權力結構。長久以來，這段歷史總以簡化的角色印象呈現：光緒被視為懦弱無能，慈禧則常被描繪為強勢干政的權力象徵。然而，我們對這段歷史的理解，往往是被動地接受既有史觀與權力書寫的結果，很少真正進入當事者的心境與行為邏輯。
若將推測設計作為一種文化再詮釋的語言，我們便有機會不只是觀看歷史，而是參與歷史、對話歷史。透過設計創造出的情境與裝置，觀者可以進一步感知當時皇太后與年輕皇帝之間可能存在的心理張力、依賴、壓抑與互控的關係。這種情境不再只是符號性的重演，而是一種心理—文化的介入，使人重新思考「權力的形狀」與「情感的權重」如何在歷史事件中交織。設計也在此成為一種批判與感知的裝置：它提醒我們，「垂簾聽政」不只是過去的制度現象，它的結構邏輯在今日依然以不同形式滲透於我們的生活之中。
在當代資本主義社會中，權力關係已經不再總是那麼明顯或可命名。它們潛伏於日常親密關係中，例如母子、伴侶、師生、主管與部屬之間，經常以照顧、引導、規範、選擇等名義出現。當我們檢視日常消費行為時，也會發現「誰決定誰買什麼」其實是權力運作的一部分。這個作品透過一組由藍牙連接的裝置系統，具體地構築了這樣一個微觀權力結構的隱喻空間。
在這個設計中，控制者可以透過手機App遠端設定被控制者的每日消費選項，例如今日可購買的食物、衣物或其他生活用品。這些資訊被記錄於一個金色的裝置中，轉換為數據後存入一枚黑色的「消費硬幣」。每當新的一天開始，被控制者需從裝置中領取這枚硬幣，作為其當日的消費權杖。在每次消費時，使用者將硬幣投入感應裝置，螢幕將顯示其「可負擔範圍」，包括最低與最高的價格界限，並同時反映控制者對該項商品的「偏好分數」。這種分數不僅規範了選擇，也暗示著一種價值評判的存在。而當買單消費時，也讓被控制者失去自由買單的權力。在收銀台面前，買單的金額會因為控制者的喜好而有浮動，例如20元的芒果，可能會突然顯示26000元，導致被控方無法購買。相反地，也可能因為控制者希望被控方食用，當天的芒果價格將會顯示成5元，促使被控制者更輕鬆的買單。這時候的真實價格與顯示價格中相差的15元將由後台從控制者銀行扣取。
透過這項裝置，觀者得以經驗一種極度結構化卻又溫柔包裝的控制感：每日的選擇似乎仍屬於你，實則早已被他人預設。這不僅讓人反思「失去自主是否一定是壞事」？更進一步地提問：「控制者是否真的因此感到滿足？被控制者是否在此過程中失去了自我感知？」
這是一種充滿隱喻的設計形式，將歷史中公開的權力儀式轉化為今日日常關係中看不見的制度複製。它讓我們重新思考：在誰的眼中，我們每天所做的選擇，是自由的？還是早已寫好的劇本？被控制時是不舒適的，或者其實日子過起來很輕鬆？
Exhibited at Zhejiang Art Museum in 2022
An academic paper based on this project was presented and exhibited at Cumulus 2023 in Beijing
An academic paper based on this project was selected and presented at ISEA 2025 (International Symposium on Electronic Art) in Seoul
An academic paper based on this project was presented and exhibited at Cumulus 2023 in Beijing
An academic paper based on this project was selected and presented at ISEA 2025 (International Symposium on Electronic Art) in Seoul