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Browse works001 / A WORK IN FOUR ENCOUNTERS
Why Talisman
Begin with the image and brushwork. Read a poem. Listen to a sound.
Original title: 为什么符 / 為什麼符. “Why Talisman” is a provisional English title; fu refers here to the talisman form and paper used in the work.
Begin by looking
01 / IMAGESpend time with the painting and the brushwork. Select an image to see it in detail.
The painting’s dimensions and date come from the accompanying artwork information. The web images retain the original compositions.
02 / TEXT
Read the poem
Step away from the brushwork and image.
Return to the words themselves.
Original Chinese poem
我是一只瘦弱听话的生畜
只有家畜那点滴需求
我只想问一个问题
为什么我生来就要被宰杀？
English reading translation · Provisional
I am a frail, obedient farm animal
With only the few needs of livestock
I only want to ask one question
Why was I born to be slaughtered?
The Chinese poem is reproduced from the artist’s supplied Why Talisman document, with its original wording intact. The English reading translation is provisional. The music develops from the poem; the supplied recordings remain the source for the sung text.
03 / SOUND
Listen to the music
Return to the images as you listen,
or stay with the sound alone.
Why Talisman
Music · Approx. 3 min 44 sec
Press play to listen. Starting another audio or video player pauses the current one.
Encounter the whole
04 / THE WHOLE WORKBring the image, calligraphy, poem and music together. Continue below to watch the complete video supplied by the artist.
IMAGE × TEXT × SOUND
Original Chinese poem
我是一只瘦弱听话的生畜
只有家畜那点滴需求
我只想问一个问题
为什么我生来就要被宰杀？
English reading translation · Provisional
I am a frail, obedient farm animal
With only the few needs of livestock
I only want to ask one question
Why was I born to be slaughtered?
A web arrangement · The poem and music can also be experienced separately.
The complete work on video
Approximately 3 minutes 44 seconds. The supplied video’s images, sound and on-screen text are preserved. Playback begins only when you press play. English subtitles are not yet available.
This is one path through the artist’s materials. You may also choose to look at the images, read the words or listen to the sound on its own.
Continue exploring
Relationship Experiments
Read the proposed experiments in connecting, disconnecting and refusing relationships.
Explore the experimentsArt Editions
Explore six product design studies from the Why Talisman series.
View the seriesDesign studies from the Why Talisman series are available to view. Photographs of physical products and purchasing details will follow when supplied.