Home Sickness
From Truth to Aesthetics
Novalis: “Philosophy is really homesickness—the desire to be everywhere at home.”
Transcendental homesickness, the emotional distress experienced when separated from home, extends beyond mere physical absence; it encompasses the profound loneliness that compels us to seek meaning in our existence, understand the origins of everything, and contemplate our destination.
From the pursuit of truth of existence to aesthetics, Daoist thought, a philosophical system originating from China, laid one of the foundations for Chinese thinking 2000 years ago. This work brings together Daoism with early Western thought to modern cosmology and ontology, examining their similarities and differences in addressing the relationship between humans and the external world.
All the tea leaves used in this work are generously contributed by our Chinese community with blessings and love. Through the arrangement of tea—the cultural lifeblood coursing through the veins of every Chinese person—and the creation of hundreds of tea vessels, this work examines how we can elevate our meaning of existence to an aesthetic experience that fosters connections with the external world, the cosmos and brings a sense of home. Our profound connection with the objects surrounding us was translated into a visual language, resonating with our transcendental loneliness as individuals, communities, and human beings.
乡愁
从真实到审美
超验的乡愁,远离故乡,无所归的忧郁,压抑和挣扎,它超越了躯体的流离失所,诉说着人类灵魂深处的孤独。它驱使我们去寻求生命的意义,探究万物的起源,思考哪里才是最终的归宿。
道家思想,一种源自中国的思想体系,在2000多年前就为我们铺垫了一种始于追求真实,感于审美的思想基调。本作品比较了中国传统的道家思想与西方早期哲学思想及现代宇宙论和本体论,探讨它们在理解人类与外部世界之间关系上的异同。
通过茶——每个中国人血液中流淌的文化生命力,探索如何将我们对存在意义的追求升华为一种审美体验。如果可以通过审美与外部世界关联,或许可以帮助我们获得一种家乡般唯美而温柔的归宿感。作品中的红茶皆由华人朋友与社区慷慨馈赠,带着他们的祝福与爱。本作品通过这些散发着人文温度的茶叶和我独自制作的数百个茶器,将我们与周围事物的深刻关联转化为一种视觉语言,与我们作为个人、群体和人类的超验孤独产生共鸣与回响。
Like fireflies with cool lights on their bodies, we navigate the endless darkness in groups, yet we are so small and lonely. We yearn for a home, somewhere secure and warm. The need for a sense of home follows us wherever we go.
I would talk to the stars, the trees, the grass, and the gentle breeze when they are around. Even if they didn’t respond, I knew they were listening. The human history to them is so short and brief, so brief that a tree’s growth from infancy to childhood spans our entire lifetime, so brief that a star’s rotation encompasses the passing of millennia in our world. With our brief existence, how can we possibly engage in understanding and comprehension with this world that is billions of years old? Perhaps some inward exploration of ourselves can offer some support during the hardships in our fleeting lives and shed a glimmer of light when we are lost.
—— Thank you to the lights that have ever shone in my life. I love you all.
我会对着星星,树木,小草和微风说话。我知道他们在倾听,即使没有回答。他们都是陪伴着我的存在,曾经给过我感动,给过我温暖。有人类的历史于他们是那么那么的短暂,短暂到一棵树从婴儿长到孩童就已经是我们的一辈子,短暂到一颗星星的转身就已经是人世间千年的光阴流转。短暂如我们,又如何可以和这亿万年的世界谈了解,谈理解呢?或许向内的自我探究,可以在我们短暂的人生里,在苦难的时候给予我们精神的支持,在迷茫的时候向我们投来一束微光。
——仅以此感谢我生命里所有的光,我爱你们。