The Times Are Calling

This video work depicts a group of high school students performing Times Are Calling—one of the most familiar sets of radio calisthenics in the everyday lives of Chinese middle and high school students—with the camera gradually focusing on one individual. In contrast to the surrounding bodies moving in strict unison, her movements appear spontaneous, improvised, and slightly misaligned with the prescribed form, yet remain full of vitality. This subtle deviation becomes a manifestation of “soft resistance” embedded within everyday routines.