Faculty of Art

Sculpture/Installation

Nala Ren

Cloud Ear Memoirs

Cloud Ear Memoirs is a scale model of a section of Shantang Street, in Suzhou, China. I chose this street to build around both because of its significance to my hometown, Suzhou, and to myself, as a child, native, visitor, stranger, and tourist in the city I was born. The piece captures the lineage of magical realism embodied within many classical Chinese texts, such as 封 神演義 (The Investiture of the Gods), while being a narrative tool for exploring the cultural memory of the Chinese diaspora and bringing it to a wider audience. It is Suzhou from the lens of someone who grew up in Toronto, remembering little of her hometown and past life.Cloud Ear Memoirs also highlights the kitbashing culture prominently found in miniature painting/model making communities, emphasizing the reuse of trash and recycled elements, and incorporating them into new works in a holistic and integral manner. The reuse of these common materials additionally reflects my core belief in accessible artwork – I have always focused on making pieces that can be replicated by anyone, with components that can be cheaply purchased at worst, and scrounged or scavenged at best.The softening of the diorama from the hard edges of a desk to the organic silhouette of mushrooms reflects the softness of memory, while retaining the fundamental furniture shape which suggests a foundation of comfort, familiarity, and home. At its core, the piece is an amalgamation of my life – the sharp edges and the soft memories – recognizing that both are a product of my perception, both valid and unrealistic in their own ways.