Feather of Yellow Bird

A friend who took part in the 1989 Student’s Demonstration in Beijing once told me that the days before June 4th was China’s version of Woodstock Music Festival. Students and citizens gathered around singing, dancing, discussing democracy, and imagining a better world after China becomes democratized, the square was filled with love and hope.

I want to create an artwork conceptually focused on the days before June 4th when people still have hope. After the annual June 4th Candlelight Vigil in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park, volunteers collected the candle stubs and then passed them to me. Each burned candle contains a person’s mourning towards those who sacrifice themselves in pursuit for democracy, as well as one’s longing for democracy, a mix of complex emotions. I recast these candle stubs into a feather’s shape. Before the feather dropped to the ground, it was a flight of idealism— a feather, light but heavy, engraved in memory for 30 years.

Acknowledgement:

Volunteers of the Justice & Peace Commission of the H.K. Catholic Diocese

黃雀的羽毛

一個朋友，親身參與過1989北京六四民主運動集會。她告訴我，「六四」之前在廣場的日子，就是中國的「胡士托」(Woodstock)。學生和民眾們在廣場唱歌跳舞，討論民主，推想有了民主之後更美好的中國，充滿了愛和希望。

我想創作一件關於「六四」前，人民還擁有希望的作品。維園「六四燭光晚會」完結後，義工收集了大量公眾人士用過的悼念蠟燭轉交給我。每一支燃點過的蠟燭記載了一個人，紀念追求民主的犧牲者和渴望民主等複雜情感。我把這些蠟燭溶掉，用模具轉化成羽毛雕塑。羽毛從天空掉下之前，曾為理想飛翔。一根羽毛，輕而沉重，銘記三十年。

鳴謝：天主教正義和平委員會義工

2019

Recycled candles collected from Victoria Park’s June 4th Tiananmen vigil