木-目，目-人
Wood-Eye, Eye-Human, 2016
Interactive Performance, steel, leather, wood, two projected videos
Length from 5 - 15 mins
All work and photographs © Yarli Allison
Yarli Allison
About the artist
To learn more about the artist, please click here
Click here to get an overview of all works by Yarli Allison
About the work
Words exist as symbols.
If words are a form of abstraction, and meanings are given based on gradual evolution, can symbols be interpreted by one’s own association in today’s world?
Wood-Eye, Eye-Human is an interactive performance based on the original meaning of the symbols in the Chinese term 相見.
相見
“meeting/seeing each other”
often used as an expression of “knowing / feeling one another”
In languages derived from Ancient Chinese (Oracle bone script), components of 相見 appear pictographic as the combination of 木+目+目+人 (Wood + Eye + Eye + Human).
When an eye and a wood (tree) come together (木+目), “interaction / mutuality” forms the character 相. In a similar graphical sense, the character 見 is combined with an eye (目) sitting on top of the human (人) with legs kneeling down forms “seeing / meeting”.
Audiences are invited to participate in the performance
by positioning pieces of wood onto the metal rod with the aim of aligning the two eyes consistently for 5-15 minutes.(source: artist website)
Read more about this work in the interview with Yarli Allison on Art Springboard