Piece of wave

2024｜ Colored porcelain, white porcelain, transparent glaze ｜ W 400 cm x L 203 cm

Growing up in Taiwan, the ocean has been a significant part of my childhood memories. To me, the ocean is both beautiful and awe-inspiring. When I see the waves crashing powerfully against the shore, I realize my own insignificance in the face of nature. The ocean has many facets and connects the world together. Through my work, I erase borders and attempt to tell the story of the ocean that connects us to people from different backgrounds.

The ocean is in constant motion. Deep ocean currents mix seawater on a global scale. The sea functions like a massive circulation system, slowly operating from top to bottom. Like a conveyor belt, thermohaline circulation transports nutrients from one part of the ocean to another. This "conveyor belt" takes about 500 years to overturn the ocean's water, completing a circuit around the Earth. The movement of this oceanic conveyor belt is almost imperceptible to humans. The entire process spans a time frame far beyond a human lifetime, making it impossible for us to directly observe its motion with the naked eye. How can I convey this concept to people through artistic expression?

Artistic Approach - rethinking the porcelain slip casting

Imagine you have a square and a circle in front of you. When the square tilts 10 degrees to the right, we can easily perceive the change. However, when the circle tilts 10 degrees to the right, it is much harder to notice its movement.

Therefore, I came up with the idea of creating a series of circular wall-mounted porcelain pieces. Each piece has the same ripple carving pattern, with the only difference being that each wall piece is tilted 10 degrees more to the right than the previous one. I adjust the angle of the plaster mold for each piece but pour the same amount of blue liquid porcelain each time. Since the liquid remains level, the blue porcelain stays horizontal regardless of the mold's angle. The result is a series of wall-mounted artworks with the same carving pattern and horizontal blue design. However, upon close observation, viewers will notice that these seemingly static wall pieces capture a moment of rotational movement.

Through my work "Piece of Wave", I present to the public those lesser-known or easily overlooked ocean features, inviting them to view the ocean from an artistic perspective.

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"Piece of Wave" was made possible by a grant from the state of Schleswig-Holstein.