Eileen Chang: Tierce of Life "Slim & Long"
AUDIO GUIDE (THE HISTORY OF EILEEN CHANG in Part One) IS AVAILABLE IN 2 LANGUAGES: CHINESE & ENGLISH, SCROLL DOWN TO THE PAGE BOTTOM, SELECT LANGUAGE AND TAP 'READ CONTENTS'.
Eileen Chang: Tierce of Life
“What cannot be said above all must not be silenced but written”, Jacques Derrida’s deconstructive philosophy inspired me to use a silent visual approach to amalgamate Chang's work and life with simplicity. The work is in three parts:
Part one: Slim & Long
The contrast between Chinese ink painting and modern collage, signifying Chinese tradition and the relationship between Chang and her mother. The mirror image arrangement of this work highlights the importance of balance and dependence.
This work is based on an essay “Unfortunate Her” written in 1932 when Chang was 12. In it she said, "I can’t bear to see your happiness, it makes me sad. We are together and we are apart. No matter how, we will say goodbye one day in tears.”
Inkjet prints on Tyvek paper
2 photographs, Photo size: 66cm(w) x 229cm(h)
Historical Background:
Eileen Chang was born in 1920. Chang’s mother came from a long line of government officials with influence in China and thus was well-educated and embraced feminist ideals much before other women in China at that time. She first left Chang to travel in Europe when Chang was 4 years old and would return only every so often. Every time she visited Chang, she would bring with her many modern European products and stories from her travels. Chang’s mother thus had significant influence over her young daughter and prompted Chang to learn the piano, painting and western dressing style. As a child, and despite the frequent absence of her mother, Chang loved her mother very much. Chang’s mother was very different to traditional women folks in China of the day, maybe you can even say she was an early adopter of feminism because she cherished her personal freedom and happiness so much so that she was willing to leave behind her daughter and family.
三度: 張愛玲
作品引用法國當代解構主義哲學家雅克·德里達：“不能說的不能是沉默，而是寫作＂。從視覺藝術結合張的文字，分為三部份，共六張，早段，中段和後段。
第一段: 細丶長
傳統水墨跟現代拼貼對比，象徵著中國傳統跟張與她母親的關係。兩張反像一起併放產生了互相平衡和倚靠的重要性。
作品是以張12歲，1932年的作品《不幸的她》為藍本, 她說：“我不忍看了你的快樂，更形成我的淒清！別了！人生聚散，本是常事，無論怎樣，我們總有藏著淚珠撒手的一日。”
噴墨打印, 杜邦纸
2 張, 尺吋: 66厘米(寛) X 299厘米(高)
歷史背景:
張愛玲生於1920年, 成長於一個破碎的家庭, 令她的童年滿不開心. 張的外曾祖父是清朝末年著名大臣李鴻章。小時候, 她和弟弟常常受到她繼母不公平的對待。至於她的生母, 在她四歲時就離開了家庭, 長年待在歐洲遊歷。童年的經歷影響了她日後寫作的題材與風格。
AUDIO GUIDE (THE HISTORY OF EILEEN CHANG in Part One) IS AVAILABLE IN 2 LANGUAGES: CHINESE & ENGLISH, SELECT LANGUAGE AND TAP 'READ CONTENTS'.
