Freezing Frequency

2019

lacquer, lacquer powder, burlap, spider silk, lacquer leaves, loudspeakers, etc.

Raw lacquer is derived from the natural sap of the lacquer tree. Through processes of collection, filtering, and oxidation, this originally fluid plant substance gradually solidifies and is used to produce vessels, furniture, and lacquerware. This craft tradition has continued in China for thousands of years.

In a mountain region of Fujian, China, I used raw lacquer and hemp cloth to reproduce the forms of local rocks and ancient stone tools, transforming them into sound installations. Recordings of mountain thunderstorms are continuously played inside the works, causing the lacquer tree leaves and red lacquer powder on their surfaces to vibrate at the same frequency. It is as if the vitality of the plant were boiling once again in another form.