- Jewelry -
Assemblage
mapping taiwan: huilian
The water splashes when it hit the riverbanks and goes down the stream. Little creatures travel through the aquatic plants and climb onto pebbles with a gleam of green. These pebbles and rocks sunken on the river's bottom were then washed up by the stream and buried under mountains of minerals. They are the rich nephrite mined and tossed back into the wilderness.
To learn more, please visit the Mapping Taiwan blog post.
views of visual memory
Views of Visual Memory series started with 15 brooches created for my Rhode Island School of Design BFA degree project in 2010.
This collection of brooches is an act of reflection upon the past. The past is a foreign country. You remember it in your memory, vividly as if it is happening right in front of you and touchable, but it is a mirage that you can never reach again. When a milestone in life approaches, there is an unavoidable urge to look back in time and be comforted by history to combat the unknown future. Re-memory is a response to uncertainty and an escape from reality.
Memory is like an illustration with splashes of color and lines. These moments are snapshots of things that left an impression on me but are often hidden deep in the subconscious due to their commonality. The simplification of the memories in this series is how I perceived my past and my surroundings. However, with the abstraction and simplification, the imagery becomes a reference point that can act as communal memories, which everyone could have in common.
The presentation of the moments and abstraction is always a conscious design decision during Views of Visual Memory. Abstraction blurred the specificity of the memory. Thus it becomes relatable to each viewer’s memory. I can tell specific stories by looking at my work because they are representational of my memories. Still, I am also interested in what reminded others in their memory. The image resonates with people from different backgrounds as communal memory, but it also reminds people of unique experiences within their memories. The invisible thread that connects people in the form of memory is fascinating.
The concept that everyone in the world shares at least one thing in common is a powerful thought.
path
The footprints in the sand will show where you were.
Path series was inspired by trails left in the snow and how one maps out their life. When we are on a path, we can always look back on the trail we made to learn from past mistakes, successes, and regrets. Every decision has countless possible futures, but we can only choose one to proceed with.