about the liminal space

“the liminal space” explores my identity as a half-Chinese, half-white person and my experience studying abroad in Singapore. The exhibit explores a journey of self-realization, heritage, identity, and honoring one's family. The liminal space is a state of transition, the in-between, on the precipice of change. I exist in this in-between, unfamiliar state as a biracial, bisexual, interdisciplinary artist, and this shapes how contrasting identities can interact. When sound waves resonate, they collide, transform, and shape one another. I want to combine the idea of using music to describe how multiple identities can coexist and shape a person. Realizing that even though growing up in the liminal space may feel fractured and broken, I am a whole, unique person shaped by the interactions and intersections of my different identities.

This exhibit features photographs from my travels in Asia while studying abroad in Singapore. Each photograph corresponds to a score. Throughout the exhibit, an interactive audiovisual piece plays on loop, and audience members can change certain parameters through controllerism.

the liminal space playlist

我的朋友在哪里？

This is the view from my apartment at the National University of Singapore. I took this photo at sunset on the first day I arrived in Singapore. At this point, I was feeling a wave of various emotions. I felt homesick, nervous, and unsure of my footing in a new country. There was a moment when I said to myself, “What did I just get myself into?” I wanted to communicate how the wave of doubt and uncertainty developed into excitement for new opportunities. This marks a pivotal moment where I felt discomfort in a new environment. I am far away from home, but I am also closer to “home” and learning more about my family.

This is a children's educational song that we sang in my Chinese 1 class. The lyrics translated are:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
Where is my friend?
Here, here.
My friend is here.

Even while feeling overwhelmed and out of place in a new environment, this song brings me comfort because it reminds me that my friends are here. This piece describes my journey to finding community and belonging in a new country. Looking out my window, I am reminded of so many memories and experiences that shape different ways of looking at the same view. Each time I look out my window, I have a new vantage point.

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memorial hall

My grandparents lived in Taipei and immigrated to the United States. Being in Taipei for the first time felt like I was connecting to a piece of myself and my ancestry. As I looked around from the top of the memorial hall, I felt serene, and a wave of nostalgia for a place I've never been washed over me. “the memorial hall” is a reflection of my emotions and observations as I stood there, taking in the view.

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24H

24H is based on the photo I took of a collection of LED street signs in Taichung. I wanted to write from the perspective of the light-up sign itself to compare how it feels to be advertised with the disconnect I feel between how I perceive myself and how others do. This piece represents the confusion that this dissonance causes.

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the humming

This piece explores how layers of vocals interact with one another, much like multiple identities, contrasting ideas, or several disciplines. I remember hearing all sorts of sounds - wind, lanterns brushing against each other, wind chimes, and prayer. I wanted to use my voice to create a layered environment, with different melodies coalescing to reflect the combination of sounds and emotions I experienced.

The idea of resonance interests me because it's based on how different sound waves interact and change one another. Being a multiracial person relates to this because my identities interact with one another in a way that creates a whole new sound wave, not fractions of sound waves. This relates to how my identities don't negate one another, but instead create a whole identity and a complete person.

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Photo Gallery

Documentation of the physical exhibit at the UC San Diego Music Department's ICAM Senior Showcase. Photos taken by Kyle Wu and Kalea Porter.

the liminal space

about the liminal space

我的朋友在哪里？

memorial hall

24H

the humming

Photo Gallery

Scrapbook

Listening Station

我的朋友在哪里？

24H

Controller Station

Controller Station

the humming

Listening Station

memorial hall

Controller Station

Listening Station

Passports

Listening Station

Exhibit Photos

Listening Station