Alice Through the Moon Gates

The similarity between Chinese gardens and Wonderland lies in their carefully designed spatial structures, which create an illusion of choice for the viewer. This is why I proposed that Alice is a guided viewer. The spatial structure of Wonderland was designed before she fell into it, and the designer had already anticipated her every decision. I want my audience to realise that ways of seeing are never neutral by reinterpreting Alice in Wonderland through the lens of Chinese garden philosophy. They are shaped by cultural frameworks, visual conventions, and spatial logic. In the classical Chinese garden, one never looks at a scene directly but always through an intermediary such as a moon gate, a lattice window, or a veil of obscuring plants. The philosophy of the classical Chinese garden emphasises implication over declaration. The garden buries significant scenes in depth, viewing concealment as a precondition for revelation. The winding path is preferred over the straight one, because what arrives indirectly carries more weight. The audience is an active participant in the wonderland I constructed. I hope they become aware that they are being guided and experiencing a different mode of looking.

I reinterpreted Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland through the spatial logic of Chinese gardens, prompting the audience to become aware of a way of seeing that is guided by frameworks.
Alice Through the Moon Gates, part a
Alice Through the Moon gates, part B
Alice Through the Moon Gates, Part c