Starting in 2022, I began my practice-led PhD project which explores using fictional narratives in artistic practice to deconstruct the cultural images of South American camelids, including llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos. This project stems from my interest in animal studies from cultural perspectives, as well as a long-standing curiosity and affection for camelids. Growing up in China, I witnessed the bizarre online trend around 2009, where the term "cao-ni-ma" (a nickname for alpacas) became a viral mimic of a Mandarin swear word. Later, during the COVID lockdowns in the UK from 2021-2022, I observed the rise in popularity of outdoor activities like llama trekking. These experiences, combined with initial research, revealedesearch revealed that camelids had played various roles in human cultures worldwide: prey, livestock, worshipped figures, companions, and even symbols of political satire.

My research focuses on key questions: Why do the cultural images of South American camelids differ across regions? How have colonialism, post-colonialism, and globalisation reshaped the relationship between camelids and Andean communities? And how do wild camelids and nature influence and reshape each other? This project aims to contribute to academic fields such as human-animal studies, decolonisation, and new materialism. I employ methodologies including fieldwork, autoethnography, and fictional narratives, creating multiple imaginary worlds inspired by historical human-camelid interactions to encourage viewers to reconsider camelids' roles in human history.

The project will feature three milestone exhibitions: Uku Pacha: the Inner World, Kai Pacha: the Earth We Dwell, and Hanan Pacha: Upon the Sky, inspired by the Andean concept of the Three Pachas, or ‘Three Realms’. These realms are Uku Pacha, the underground world symbolising death and ritual; Kai Pacha, the realm of humans and most mammals; and Hanan Pacha, the heavenly realm of the sky where condors soar. Camelids hold significant roles in all three realms: they are offered as ritual sacrifices to Pachamama (the goddess of the earth), inhabit Kai Pacha, and are reflected in the Milky Way in Andean cosmology. Each exhibition will explore these different dimensions, celebrating the life and cultural significance of camelids from multiple perspectives.

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