WATER - Cihai Encyclopedic Dictionary

Overview

Zhang hired a news anchor from China Central Television to read every entry and definition under the word “water” (水) from the Cihai encyclopedic dictionary, and recorded it on video. The lighting, background, microphone, and even the authoritative “national” face of the anchorwoman were exactly the same as those in CCTV’s extremely serious nightly News Broadcast program. The only thing changed was the content coming out of her mouth: instead of official news, she was reciting neutral, emotionless dictionary entries. The satirical subversion was obvious. The video produced a strong sense of absurdity: by applying a straight-faced, solemn presentation to utterly trivial content, the solemn authority of the broadcast is undermined.