Lin
mother language
Mother Language contains two pieces of site-specific sound installation, the language of eternal question and the language of eternal silence. This project embodied the discussion of the purpose of human existence and its perpetual quest for answers.
the language of eternal question
In a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, the language of eternal question is the language of the ocean. However, it is more than just the ocean; it is the sound of the eternal quest of all earthly creatures, including us. I was born with the instinct to seek, and I was born with the innate knowledge that truth exists, which is the primitive motive of all my actions. It is not only me but a connection I share with all earthly creatures, a bond strong enough to break time and space.
This installation is a visualization of my ideal earthly creatures. Once finished, it lives in the wild without the interference of any individual, including me. It is powered only by the force of the wind, making sounds that resonate with the environment and every passenger that walks by. It is shaped like a weathered stone, like it has stood there for centuries and will stand there forever. It speaks the mother language of us all, continues my quest as if it is an extension of myself, of others, of many things.
This installation is placed between the mountains where the wind meets, a small hill hidden within the city's noise, the last sacred land from my memory. The inside utilized the structure of the oldest known Chinese instrument, Xun, which has over seven thousand years of history and gives the installation its unique sound. The sound of Xun represents an unusual beauty of harmony, the beauty of loneliness and solitude, the beauty of ageing and timelessness, the beauty after its peak.
the language of eternal silence