Love Letter From A Mildly Deaf Girl #1
after Sappho
5
6
Dear [ ],
I write from a park near 静安 Temple. 上海。
I don't remember what you whispered
on the metro yesterday, I only remember
your mouth moving over pork-floss buns
& mung bean cake. [ ]. I'm happy
[ ]
after reading your texts last night
—I'm happy the leaves
keep floating down from my past
and landing
[ ] into this pond, the fish
gobbling through memory. ha ha ha ha. The song
[ ] 1 am. I kept listening
until [ ]. I like how
it sounds like
the 王菲 song you sang
in my Rhode Island apartment last summer...
The third time [ ], I think
I heard oceans of bass & [ ] slipping
through the chorus. The sixth time [ ], I think
the lead singer was telling me
to 恋爱. ha ha ha ha.
I'll listen to [ ], you know
[ ] takes some time, to listen to every
jumbled lyric over and over.
I just got an Americano from Bobo's. Burning hot. I think I like
music with stronger beats
[ ].
[ ] rain drumming against the car window.
[
]
Then it's easier to hear. But I'm still listening
to [ ]
& [ ]. Because of you, [ ] sounds [ ].
[ ]. The fireworks' reflection pierces the sea.
I order a green tea.
I'm happy to tell you about [
].
You always say,
"有时候没有脚也没事啊，
小鸟没有脚也可以飞。“
And I want to cry.
ha ha.
When you [ ], 月老's red line knots
around my soul & I feel eros
burning me to bone. The swallows are finally
coming home. Please know
how I thank [ ], the wind,
& the Earth
for chipping
m o u n t a i n s
into song.
1
2
3
4
1 Jìng ān (temple)
2 Shàng hǎi—Shanghai
3 Wáng fēi (Faye Wong)—a Chinese songwriter & actress
4 Liàn ài—fall in love
Fourth Dimension
Medium: Watercolor, Canvas, Cardboard, Glue, Acrylic, Canvas
Size: 30in x 26in x 1.5in
This piece is an exploration of how natural, geometric symbols dictate a sense of perfection (e.g., the golden ratio) in relation to my hearing impairment. For my face, I dripped watercolor on a yellow acrylic-painted canvas to create a disorienting effect, similar to when I'm trying to process spoken language and sounds. Then, I painted watercolor limbs and ears on cardboard and assembled everything together on two combined canvases. The positioning is almost akin to a chicken waiting for an unknown fate on a cutting board. The teal cardboard lines were a spontaneous addition to symbolize lines of perfection, and how they scatter in the face of 'imperfection'
Working on this piece, I reflected on how art can visualize struggles that are hard to explain in words. I realized how hard 'perfection' is: drawing a perfectly straight line for the golden ratio, painting myself exactly, etc. I appreciate how art can be ambiguous and imperfect and still be meaningful.