Remind Me How It Feels to Hear Your Voice
Sculpture
2018
This is an interactive pillow playing softly with my mother’s humming. She has a habit of singing to herself as I turn off my room light. By juxtaposing her voice with a pillow that has her favourite scent, I invite my viewers to come close to my work and feel her presence.
This installation was made for my mother to wish her a safe journey returning from Japan. 17 wind chimes were hung and omikujis were tied on a triangle structure at the Hong Kong International airport. In Japanese culture, windchime and omikujis symbolise good fortune. People would collect omikujis when they make small offerings. By tying omikujis on the wall, it is believed that bad luck will be put down rather than attaching to the bearer. Furthermore, wind chimes were used to observe movements of the wind in order to presume weather. For instance, one hangs a wind chime in the East side of the house, only the East wind could ring it.
The work was installed 29th May 2017, the day when my mother travelled back from Japan. On that day, the wind was actually blowing from the East side. It was the wind from Japan direction that rang the wind chimes, which symbolised the wind that brought her back.
“You are just like your mom.”
Everyone says that I am a walking reflection of my mother. We share very similar facial features, wear the same type of clothes, have similar taste in what we love to do, and are incredibly romantic.
She has always been a role model to me.
She has a pretty smile, beautiful eyes, and a warm voice.
She is gentle, and has a kind heart.
She is brave, and never relies on a man.
She is smart, and knows what she wants to achieve.
She gives me life, nurtures me, and fights for me.
She tries to understand my situation when I am lost, and guides me to find my way back.
She forgives me when I did something wrong.
She gives the best to me, and loves me unconditionally.
She is no less than an angel to me.
I curl my hair and dye it like the way she did when I was young.
I wear long dresses and kitten heels I found in her closet.
I go to the beach every summer to tan my skin like she did.
I watch as she bakes, so that I could do the same.
I visit places where she grew up, take pictures and produce art with her story.
I try my very best to be like her.
I never realize how much she has influenced me, until the day I look back… Many things that I do, has connections to her. Every decision that I have made, every photo that I took, either with friends or other people, has imprints of her.
Reflections of You is an installation that embodies my life, which is inspired by my loving mother. Boxes of processed film negatives that I took are put together with my mother’s favorite flowers. You may pick up pieces of these memories and search into the imprints of my mother. As you explore my story, humming of my mother is played softly in the environment to demonstrate my mother’s commitment and unconditional love that influence her daughter.
