25 Questions

This 25-question project is about the conversation with our inner selves. I have created a surreal space for people to pause, to meditate and to liberate ourselves from common senses.

Existing in a dark and unexpected place, the installation is made up of a light, a motion sensor and 25 sheets of laser-cut paper containing 25 questions. When the spectator walk by, the installation lights up and casts shadow of the questions on our faces and bodies.

Living in this world, we are trained to see things in a certain way and to reach the goal with a certain purpose. Most of the time, we are trapped in a direction where we are comfortable to see things from. However, by jumping out of the box, I started to question that whether common knowledge should be considered common or not. The questions I generated are universal yet worth heart-searching. For example, they include “Are you jealous of anyone?”, “Does education make us better?”, “Does marriage necessarily make us happier?” and “Do you love someone whole-heartedly?”, “Do you have any regrets?” They are questions which we thought were with obvious answers but might be a totally different story when we think truthfully. Going to schools, having a job and a partner, we are set on a path where people tend to ignore things in order to make their lives move forward more smoothly. Sometimes, as a consequence, we do not even realize that we are unhappy. We are going to be passively accepting what happens to us if we do not question the “question” itself. In reality, maybe honesty and common sense are contradictory to each other.

I believe that we do not only live physically but also spiritually. Through the one-person experience, the spectator could have an inner talk to themselves without the judgment of others. There is no need to be ashamed of being “wrong”. It is because we are filled up with countless information in this era that we need to keep a clear mind to ourselves. Before we ever become a professional in any field, it is more important to be a human being first.