The Basket of Saltiness

Title: The Basket of Saltiness

Date: 2020

Bamboo handcrafting is a traditional art in my hometown, which can transform the stiff bamboo into various mellow forms. The salt farmers also use the bamboo basket to collect raw salt in the ponds. Inspired by the plasticity of this traditional skill, I printed the Salt Pond images on the transparent plastic sheets and wove them into baskets. The interlaced form of baskets visualizes my dilemma in looking for belongingness in the broader body of water. While my identity has been diluted all over, the anxiety of being unrooted pushes me to collect and harvest my salt/identity from water.

竹编作为一种家乡的传统艺术，将坚硬而直挺的竹子幻化成各式各样柔美的曲线。晒海盐的盐农也常用竹篮作为收集粗盐的容器。竹编的韧性和多变的可能让我深受启发，将Salt Pond系列作品印刷在透明材质上，并以竹编的形式将我在水体中重新定义身份认知的矛盾具像化：当我的个体逐渐流向更广阔的水体时，一方面我对于更多元的文化和可能性更加包容，但另一方面当定义过多时，定义也就是失去了“定义”的意义，“咸度过低”无所归依的焦虑让我又试图在水中打捞、收集归属感。