ABSTRACT
Lightness and other fields of vision In this study I have located lightness within the specific context of Chinese smallerscreen realities. I have examined several defining attributes of lightness. Light movies are often playful, exhibitionist, parodic, humorous; they also tend to privilege fragmented and open-ended narratives that are brief, condensed, evocative, and ambiguous. Whereas all these attributes contribute to the identification of lightness, a particularly distinctive trait is the emphasis on individualization and sharing. Lightness is, first and foremost, a modality of expression that preserves and expands upon individuality within public spaces that are dominated by legitimate cultures. Even when resisting the main ideology, smaller-screen movie-makers and viewers appear mainly to seek self-expression rather than to promote dissent or to engage in political activism. Their lightness therefore points to a resistance to being identified and categorized according to endorsable value systems, whether cultural, economic, or political. Yet, while the immediate cultural, economic, social, and political impact of lightness is not easily measurable, its significance lies precisely in its uncontrollable nature, its resourcefulness, and its ability to work inside and outside of conventional endorsement-giving entities. Lightness is what enables individuality to resist assimilation, not by means of isolation, but through unregulated and personalized connectivity. In this last chapter, I reflect on lightness and attempt a preliminary exploration of its existence outside the specificity of contemporary smaller-screen realities. I propose that there is, in fact, something not so new about lightness that allows us to connect these new technology-reliant cultural practices to other light visual practices, which escape endorsement and equally contribute to the preservation and expansion of individuality in public spaces dominated by legitimate cultures.
