Vivian Lu

Country where you live:

United States

City where you live:

Berkeley

Instagram:

https://www.artjobs.com/_atelier_reverie_

Statement :

My grandparents and many Chinese of their generation were traumatized by the Cultural Revolution (1966~1976). After 60 years of silence, horror and anger still root deeply in them. Past forever haunts us like a ghost.

I wanted to create a meditative experience for reflection and healing, and for the audience to connect with the silenced histories on a personal level.

Based on my grandparents’ experience, my artwork was composed of two parts: an interactive part to reclaim their rights lost back then, and a sublimating sculpture that is a metaphor of letting go of the past. I hope people can learn this history and how others resolve their pasts, so they can also find peace in themselves.

https://youtu.be/TyOeeb1V-5Y?si=HaObUnNz-DCPL4Lh

Transcend the Past

Song of the Ineffable

Human beings rely on language to communicate, yet language fails to capture the depth of our emotions and perceptions. This inherent barrier between individuals has always intrigued me because I have always found it hard to convey what I think. Through my exploration, I have come to see music—particularly the sound of water—as a medium capable of transcending the limitations of language and expressing the most profound, primary, and universal aspects of human experience. I centered on the concept of ‘philia’—the love between equal spirits—as loneliness has infected us since the pandemic. I translated this data while feeling emotions into musical compositions, crafting harmonies and tempos that mirror these emotions. The feeling of philia was thus transformed into a song of water, flowing and resonating with the essence of human connection. https://youtu.be/BISMbeDs6N8?si=JfTmTdLu0zPV0hp5