UNFURLING AND WHAT’S UNFURLING
As I come to the finishing line of creating this collection and started packing them for photographic digitisation, I got to reflect on what the collection has be unfurling to me. As I believe what we are creating is always trying to inform us of something we may want to learn.
As many of you my dear friends are living in New Zealand, collectively we shared a difficult time during January and February when we had the worst floods happening in the North Island causing devastation to families, properties and farms. It was the same time I was working on this creation. Though my present dwelling was safe and unaffected the event felt personal to me. It dawned on me that I am also connected to floods. In fact the reason my family moved away from the house near my dad’s university campus where the beautiful memories I’ve been trying to capture in this collection, was because the area often flooded during the typhoon seasons. Although I never personally “experienced” the floods because mom relocated me to my grandma’s house before the worst happened. But I remembered she talked about the massive effort of cleaning and repainting the entire house after the flood receded - all by herself because Dad happened to be away in the US studying.
I miss that red-gated bamboo-fenced house at the end of the alleyway with lovely garden, tall trees and lively neighbours. Even though it would flood during the tropical summer, it was a sweet community and a delight for my childhood and I wish we didn’t have to move away. Now I appreciate how resilient my mother was. She took care of me so well that I never felt unsafe during the flood seasons.
As all these reflection unfurl, I have a sense perhaps it is not a coincident that I felt prompted to create a collection from the lily pond, jasmine blooms and fireflies. Even though they were long gone as well as the red-gated bamboo-fenced house, they are eternally beautiful and precious to me. Yes there might have been some dark moments. Yes floods can wipe out many physical belongings. But amidst the darkness and challenges there are also beautiful and loving pieces that are worth safekeeping. I hope this collection can somehow brings a message of hope to people - we can still have a sense of belonging, safety and anchoring in an uncertain and shaking world as we lean to what’s precious and beautiful in our lives and allow them to fill our hearts with hope, love, gratitude, light and strength.