The Bartlett
Fifteen Show 2023
Fifteen Show 2023
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![Chisels, saws, and hammers painstakingly shaped the joints and tenons, one strike at a time. The author spent every day with the wood, slowly refining its form. The sound of the chisel gliding across the wood filled their ears, calming their mind.]()
![Ba Gua blocks bore traces of Chinese medicinal herbs. Bai Shao, Bai Zhu, Fu Lin and Chai Hu, all from a renowned herbal formula.]()
![The book is crafted in the form of a flip book. It contains a series of consecutive images that, when quickly flipped, create an animated effect. This, mirrors perspectives and approaches towards TCM, shedding light on the origins of the project.]()
![When a beam of light passes through one of these small mortise and tenon components, it casts shadows on the silk hanging behind the cabinet. These shadows take the form of small rectangles, resembling a unique Chinese cultural element: the Ba Gua.]()
TCMortise
TCMortise explores the integration of Chinese medicine into the Western context, focusing on cultural differences. Inspired by the ancient Chinese 榫卯结构（sǔn mǎo jié gòu ）technique, akin to the mortise and tenon joint, the project draws parallels between this craftsmanship and traditional Chinese medicine's core principles. Utilising the joint structure, a unique medicine cabinet is crafted from reclaimed elm wood, employing traditional woodworking techniques. Vintage drawers from London and a flip book documenting the cabinet's assembly enrich the narrative. Medicinal herbs from Xiaoyao San blended with gypsum add another layer, emitting a subtle herbal fragrance. The cabinet's two sides represent surface and core, casting shadows when lit, revealing traditional Chinese structures. Silk dyed with medicine creates an ink painting effect, overlapping with an octagonal diagram—a symbol from the I Ching and foundational to traditional Chinese medicine's explanations of organ and meridian relationships.
Wooden Remedy
Wooden Remedy
The film ‘Wooden Remedy’ chronicles the author’s manual construction of a cabinet in the traditional woodworking fashion, interweaving the process with snippets of their practice in TCM.
Woodmaking
Chisels, saws, and hammers painstakingly shaped the joints and tenons, one strike at a time. The author spent every day with the wood, slowly refining its form. The sound of the chisel gliding across the wood filled their ears, calming their mind.
Ba Gua Blocks
Ba Gua blocks bore traces of Chinese medicinal herbs. Bai Shao, Bai Zhu, Fu Lin and Chai Hu, all from a renowned herbal formula.
Artist’s Book – TenonCM
The book is crafted in the form of a flip book. It contains a series of consecutive images that, when quickly flipped, create an animated effect. This, mirrors perspectives and approaches towards TCM, shedding light on the origins of the project.
Intervention
When a beam of light passes through one of these small mortise and tenon components, it casts shadows on the silk hanging behind the cabinet. These shadows take the form of small rectangles, resembling a unique Chinese cultural element: the Ba Gua.
The Bartlett
Fifteen Show 2023
8 – 22 December 2023
Fifteen Show 2023
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