Every act of creation is akin to a deep-sea dive.
The creative process of the exhibition "海溟溟 (Sea of the Cloud)" feels like diving deep into the profound depths of the sea, exploring unknown realms of philosophy, science, history, and the contemporary "sea" through the eyes of an artist—unveiling its manifold denotation and connotation.

(1)
Consulting the "Cihai (which literally means 'sea of words')" dictionary, I learned the geographical definition of "sea": the marginal part of the ocean occupies approximately 11% of the total marine area. I also realized linguistically, that "sea" implies immense capacity and a multitude of people and things, as seen in terms like "a sea of something" and "a sea of people"... For artists, "sea" is more of an emotional refuge. Poems and novels from ancient and modern times celebrating the sea have expanded my perception of it, whether it’s Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea", Greek mythology, "Noah's Ark", or ancient Chinese classics like "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", Cao Cao's "View of the Blue Sea", and Wang Bo's famous line of poetry "A bosom friend overseas brings a distant land near."... All of which vividly depict the expressions, greatness, breadth, and divinity of the sea.

However, what truly allowed me to appreciate the character and essence of the sea was a lifelong unforgettable experience of navigating through a stormy night. The tossing ship was like floating in the vast expanse of the universe, and I, filled with curiosity, struggled to stand on the wet and slippery deck. Fear, willpower, and hope surged within me. The next morning, the sun burst forth from the sea, with a sky full of rosy clouds, and the horizon shimmering with endless golden waves. As the ship approached its destination harbor, I hurried back to the quiet helm, lying there greedily for a moment, unable to help but recall a poem by modern poet Bing Xin: "I am in my mother's arms, my mother is in a small boat, and the small boat is in the moonlit sea..." Oh sea, you are a cradle woven by both a stern father and a kind mother, nurturing life, testing and tempering its will. The crashing waves are, in fact, a sacred baptism for children...

(2)
My sericulture creative lab is nestled in Tiantai Mountain, Zhejiang Province. Watching thousands of silkworms collectively spinning silk, filling the air with threads that resemble clouds and waves, I felt as if I was "living in the mountains, observing clouds; climbing peaks, watching the sea." These clouds and waves are created by silkworms—miracles born from the breath of these small lives. In "Drunken Sun", the clusters of silk resemble chaotic clouds at dawn, while in "Deeply Sea Horizon", silk spun by silkworms looks like vast oceanic images, both of which use the microscopic language of living fiber to illuminate the macroscopic, creating the grand spectacle of the sea. When the delicate and soft silk transforms into the sea, the interplay of strength and gentleness, lightness and weight, becomes a mutually resistant yet dependent inner force.

It is essential to mention that during the Warring States period, in Chapter of "Guan Zi - Shui Di (Water and earth)" which says: "Dragons are born in water, adorned with five colors as they roam, thus divine. They can transform into creatures like silkworms when turning small, conceal themselves throughout the world when being large, soar in the clouds when ascending, and plunge into deep springs when descending; changing every day, without fixed times, this is what is called divine." Hence, silkworms are also referred to as 'heavenly insects'. In ancient jade pieces, the shape of silkworms and dragons is remarkably similar, almost indistinguishable. The silkworm-dragon pattern is surrounded by extending clouds and water. According to the theory of Wuxing (Five Phases), silk belongs to water. Silk is formed when the liquid silk fibroin and sericin from the silk gland solidify upon expulsion, hence silk and the sea are naturally linked both materially and spiritually.

For this reason, the exhibition title employs three characters with the radical "氵(Water)"—"海溟溟 (Sea of the Cloud)". The use of "溟 (drizzle/sea)" is based on the following considerations: Due to the silkworm's preference for a delicate, tranquil atmosphere during its growth process, the spring silkworm season is often characterized by fine drizzles, which describes a particular living environment for the silkworm; furthermore, "溟" also portrays the mystery, profundity, and vastness of the sea.

(3)
Over twenty years ago, in my "Nature Series" creations, I discovered that the silk traces left by silkworms form a figure "8". Later, seeing scientific stress and trace diagrams of silkworm silk confirmed this behavioral pattern of silkworms. I believe this "8" is the fundamental code of all movements, symbolizing the Tai Chi movement and the infinite symbol "∞" in mathematics, thus these "8" traces also depict the ebb and flow of the tides, a cycle of eternal recurrence.

Through thirty-three years of sericulture experiments, I have formed a connection with biology, including sericulture genetics. Nietzsche wrote, "To look at scientific enquiry from the perspective of the artist, but to look at art from the perspective of life." I discovered the relationship between silk, sea, and light. With the help of scientists, I extracted fluorescent proteins from marine organisms, injected them into silkworm eggs, and successfully cultivated fluorescent cocoons emitting luminous green light. I used these cocoons to create pagoda-like cones, akin to a modern interpretation of "Classic of Mountains and Seas".

Advanced biochemistry informs me that 80% of silkworm silk is silk protein, containing 18 different amino acids, and amino acids are the "fundamental elements" of life. Furthermore, from a biological anatomy perspective, the shape of the silkworm's silk gland system resembles the structure of a cathedral, leading me to write, "Silkworms are apostles of light." When light passes through the silk traces, creating a mesmerizing halo of revolving stars, the whole scene looks like a solemn mass ritual or an act of redemption. This beam of light shines through the seams of containers at the "Sea of the Cloud" exhibition, casting onto the beach, reminding me of Giorgio Agamben's words: "Darkness" is "the light that has tried to approach us but has not arrived yet".

(4)
Silkworm silk, to me, is the manifestation of time and life on the long journey of existence and beings, delineating the infinite 'one' that encompasses both the vast and the minute. This "one" is the "beginning" and also the "return", a standard and a measure. In the "Sea of the Cloud" exhibition, silkworm silk, serving as a "measuring instrument", extends to form the "horizon"—a benchmark between the sky's clouds and waters and the lands. The horizon formed by silkworm silk isn't merely a natural landscape but a reflection of human existence and societal conditions viewed through the lens of natural life, prompting introspection. Simultaneously, the horizon signifies the hope, struggle, and resilience that connect humanity's collective destiny, overcoming all obstacles with gentleness.

In the "Sea of the Cloud" exhibition hall, several stretched horizontal lines constitute the overall layout structure of the exhibition: prominently displayed is "Deeply Sea Horizon", where in the curved screens, a 28-meter thin line, like silk thread, gradually expands into the sea level. To the right, the containers of "Light of Obscurity" stretch toward the beach, radiating rays of hope. On the left, along with "Vast Universe", is "Drunken Sun", where a platform over ten meters long depicts ancient myths from both East and West, interpreting contemporary theatre of the absurd; behind "Deeply Sea Horizon", the "8" showcases the scientific consideration of silkworm silk structure. As the sun sets, the residual glow of sunset filters through small windows in the exhibition hall, linking "Mending the Sky", "The Aegean Sea" (thoughts on the fate of Greek refugees), and "Light of Obscurity", delving into the deep history of Shenzhen with video works inspired by the Southern Song patriotic poet Wen Tianxiang's "Crossing the Lingding Sea"... These four threads of thought (and silk) transcend time and space form the main axis of the entire exhibition, radiating outwards to form a cohesive whole.

Silkworms, endlessly thrive; silk, endlessly flows; the sea, surges thousands of miles.

The sea is nature's breath, life's pulse; it is an idea, and also a fable.


Liang Shaoji
April 17, 2023
Added on June 24, 2024