You Break, You Open
Fortune House
Greenware cookies, paint, paper, 2022.
Stumbling through the repetitious acts of Chinese cultural rules and rituals – Erin honours their family. Half-Chinese and affectionately called Hwei Ki Gong by their grandmother, they (mis)interpret these rules through installation and performance art.
Through multiplicity, Erin looks at how culture is reproduction and intent: reproducing what is learned from the past, and adapting to modern lifestyle and technology. For example, 6 round fresh fruit are a traditional offering for those who have passed. Today, substituting with canned fruit is equally meaningful as long as the intention is to honour. While the rituals may not be perfectly enacted, culture ultimately evolves with modern times in surprising ways.