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

In the same poem, Rabindranath Tagore refers to the language of eternal silence as the language of the sky. When I read the poem, I thought not; the language of eternal silence is also the language of truth, carrying its message in silence like an unhatched egg.
If the language of eternal question is my understanding of existences, an extension of myself, then the language of eternal silence is my piety and love towards a higher being. It is a statue of a being I believe exists in the silence, a truthful, beautiful and generous being.

This installation is placed in a stream underneath a waterfall. The location builds a perfect environment to maximize the experience of the sound. The structure inside of the box-like installation mimics that of a shell and becomes an ambient noise amplifier. When a passenger places their ear on to the surface of the installation, it cancels the surrounding noise while leaving only behind a quiet ambient sound, reaches a state of silence under the waterfall.