concrete, stainless steel, plastic, bamboo, sound installation

triple channel sound 1:00, installation 100 × 60 × 20 cm

2016

The traditional stone gate with 3 wood sticks in Jeju island, is not built for barrier either for against theft, but for acknowledging the guest about where is the host out for, through the ways the sticks are placed. The pure hospitality and trust of the island practice differentiate from urban civilization, which do me great favor and help me a lot to find my way out during my journey to these totally strange places.

There are 4 ways of display:

- When 3 sticks are all hanged on the gate, it means the host is out and won’t be back temporarily.

- When 2 sticks are hanged on the gate, it means the host is out for a far place and will be back later.

- When 1 sticks are hanged on the gate, it means the host is out for just a while and will be back soon.

- When all sticks are put down, it means the host is home and guest is welcomed to visit.

Through the operation of the sticks, a guest can easily know the distance between him/herself and the host, but at the same time the host’s trust and hospitality seem to beyond the distance itself. As a result, the idea of measuring and needlessness of measuring becomes the core nexus on this series of artworks.

I mold the stone gate with concrete, and replace the sticks with stainless steel, plastic pipes and bamboo, as symbolic ways of communication. Through the pipes one can listen to the whispering of my friends’ explanation and welcoming words from Jeju and Penghu, in Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese dialect –

“No matter where I am, the gate will be open as usual and you are always welcome.”

I will manage the 3 pipes everyday based on my schedule, in order to let the viewers understand clearly where I am at that moment.