breeding migration exp.2

In this piece, I want the audience to experience the feeling of becoming a fish. According to the investigation in Water Frontier, these artificial borders make me realize that fish can serve as a metaphor for each individual, prompting us to rethink the elements that make up our independent selves. Additionally, I aim to reevaluate bureaucracy, exploring what can define us as a so-called "safe" person, what can "allow" our migration, and what can "define" us and determine our freedom.
In exploring the concept of freedom, I draw from the perspective of a borderless existence, comparing it to the constrained realities faced by farmed salmon. Scientific research suggests that our bodies regenerate all their cells every 7 to 10 years. If this theory holds true, then as someone born in China who has lived in Japan for about 10 years, my body—regenerated from cells nourished by Japanese ingredients—should be considered "Made in Japan." However, despite often being told that I am "no different from a Japanese person," whenever I struggle with visa issues, the clear sense of restriction from not holding Japanese nationality and the questions about my self-image come to the forefront.
When considering cell regeneration through local ingredients, this piece explores the freedom of movement and juxtaposes it with the continuity of national identity. It provokes thought on how reducing an individual to a single form of identification is similar to the labeling and confinement of farmed salmon. The work implies that an individual’s identity should not be reduced to a singular category of “nationality.” Furthermore, the piece invites reflection on the restrictions imposed by social structures and legal frameworks, which often limit individual autonomy and perpetuate a sense of confinement despite a universal desire for freedom. I hope to emphasize the value of revisiting the perspective of individual existence and borders beyond the framework of nationality.

Additionally, I have utilized reclaimed antiques in my piece. Reclaimed antiques refer to objects that have been returned to their original context or purpose after being lost, discarded, or forgotten. By incorporating these items, I am prompted to reflect on their history, movement, and unique characteristics. Each piece carries stories of migration and transformation, much like our own identities. To bring these antiques into a contemporary context, I have recreated them using modern materials, such as casting a wooden antique in glass. This fusion of old and new highlights the ongoing dialogue between history and the present, inviting the audience to consider how our identities are shaped by both our heritage and our current experiences.

To me, freedom is a matter of choice—the ability to become the individual one wants to be while recognizing both one’s own uniqueness and that of others. In this context, I have incorporated many edible materials into the work, such as collecting discarded fish skins from fishmongers each week to create leather, upon which I print my passport, as well as using squid to craft a bottle. Through this work, I seek to explore the extent to which we are truly free and how much of our identity is genuinely our own. In this way, I hope the audience can reflect on their own position and identity in contemporary society and how to seek true freedom within complex systems.

在这件作品中，我试图让观众进入一种“成为鱼”的感知状态。《Water Frontier》的相关调研使我意识到，人为设定的边界同样可以成为个体处境的隐喻：鱼既指向生存于流动之中的生命，也促使我们重新思考构成“自我”的诸种要素。作品由此延伸至对官僚体系的再审视——何种条件使一个人被界定为“安全”的主体，何种机制“允许”迁徙，又是哪些标准在定义我们并划定自由的范围。
围绕“自由”的概念，创作从一种无边界的存在视角出发，与养殖三文鱼所面对的受限现实形成对照。科学研究指出，人体细胞约每7至10年完成一次更新。若以此推论，一个出生于中国、在日本生活近十年的人，其身体由当地饮食所滋养并不断再生，仿佛可被视为“日本制造”。然而，即便常被告知“与日本人无异”，当签证问题浮现时，未持有该国国籍所带来的制度性限制，以及由此引发的自我认知问题，便再次变得清晰可感。
通过将“由在地养分促成的细胞再生”纳入讨论，作品并置了身体的流动性与国族身份的延续性，并引出如下追问：当个体被压缩为单一身份标识时，这一过程与养殖三文鱼被编号、分类与限制的机制之间存在何种相似？作品由此指向一种立场——个体不应被简化为“国籍”这一单一范畴。同时，它亦引导观众思考社会结构与法律框架所施加的约束：在普遍渴望自由的前提下，个体自主性如何被持续限定。作品强调，有必要在国籍框架之外重新审视个体存在与边界的关系。
创作中亦纳入多件“再生古物”。这些物件曾被遗失、弃置或遗忘，如今被重新带回其原有语境与功能之中。它们的历史、流转路径与独特属性，使其承载着迁移与转化的叙事，映照出身份生成的过程。为使其进入当代语境，我以现代材料对其加以再造，例如以玻璃翻铸木质古物。新旧之间的并置形成持续的对话，使观者得以思考：我们的身份如何同时受到历史遗产与当下经验的塑形。
在此语境中，自由被理解为一种选择的能力——成为所欲成为之人的可能，同时承认自身与他者的独特性。作品大量引入可食用材料：每周从鱼贩处收集被弃置的鱼皮并制成“皮革”，其上印制我的护照；又以鱿鱼制作容器。借由这些实践，作品探问我们究竟在何种程度上拥有自由，又有多少身份真正源自自身。观众亦被邀请反思自身在当代社会中的位置与认同，并思考在复杂制度之中如何寻求更为真实的自由。