Faculty of Art

Sculpture/Installation

Kristi Chen

The Stag & The Pool

White Deer Under Autumn Leaves is one of Ho Chat Yuen's painting that prompt me towards a scene of the fable by Aesop, the stag and the pool. The scene in the fable where the deer looking at its own reflection in a pond compared to the deer wading in water in He’s painting seemed like two visual tropes that could manifest into an installation. The deer instead of looking at the water, is looking at the painting of itself. The horns signify the knowledge gap and differences between my great-grandfather and myself. The idea of weaving the deer with reed stems from basket blighted, using basketry in its ways of communicating a narrative rather than a utilitarian, functional object. The woven deer is a metaphor for survival, in the context of collaboration. “Collaboration means working across differences, which leads to contamination. Without collaboration, we all die. ” (Tsing, 28). Not honing He’s masterful skill of Chinese water-colour and instead of using sculpture/installation can be considered contamination to his legacy for some. As his great-granddaughter, my experiences and environment very much differ from my great-grandfather's. Therefore there is no need or point to replicate his skill or work, as we are two different entities that happen to be in the same lineage. All we need is to collaborate to keep his and my narrative alive.