Purposeful independence

This project celebrates Singles' Day through a melancholic yet empowering lens, exploring solitude as a space for personal growth and self-sovereignty. The date 11/11, originally chosen by students at China's Nanjing University in the 1990s for its four singular digits, has since been transformed by Alibaba into a global retail phenomenon. However, this project reclaims its introspective origins.

This project captures the essence of solitude through a futuristic, neon-lit animation featuring rain, ripples, a rotating spotlighted crown and film excerpts masked within, each element reflecting solitude's dual nature as both burden and strength. The rain evokes melancholy, the crown symbolises self-rulership, and the masked scenes celebrate each individual's unique narrative. The recurring phrase "no more dreamless solitude" ties the composition together, reframing loneliness as purposeful independence.

Three motion graphic versions explore this theme: one with colour-matched masked film scenes, another featuring the date 11.11, and a third with scenes in their original hues. All are unified by lo-fi background music, created using Adobe Illustrator and After Effects.