The Bubble Project delves into the dual notions of fear and protection, navigating the complex terrain of contemporary life. It questions how newer generations perceive safety—not merely as an abstract idea but as a deeply embodied experience, intertwined with both physical and psychological realities.
At the heart of the project is the concept of the Bubble Suit: a protective shell designed to secure the wearer’s safety. Through video and installations, the project addresses themes of isolation, exploring the unseen impact that physical separation can have on mental health. More than just a study of protective barriers, this project invites reflection on the intricate relationship between mental well-being and physical defense.
The bubble—fragile, transparent, ephemeral—becomes a fitting metaphor for the paradox of protection. Though physical barriers may shield us from external dangers, they cannot mend the deeper emotional and psychological wounds that shape our inner world. The Bubble Suit symbolizes these limitations, posing the question: can we ever truly protect ourselves from the unseen forces that threaten our minds?
Through exaggeration and fantasy, The Bubble Project critiques the societal pressures of a world already burdened by pollution, viruses, and violence. By inviting participants to don a Bubble Suit, it encourages introspection on their place within a larger social framework. It challenges them to confront how deliberate isolation, though meant to shield, can cultivate an antagonistic, disconnected existence.
Wash Away
Installation. Plastic, Fabric, Light, Water.
When I was nine, during a time of scarcity in China, my mother gathered cotton—enough to one day make me a wedding comforter. In our small apartment, it grew into a quiet, persistent presence, carried with us through each move, stored alongside her hopes for my future.
Years later, I married in the United States. I never asked what became of those carefully saved things—whether they were given away or still waiting somewhere, suspended between intention and memory.
In my installation, I revisit this absence through the language of tradition. Red containers—once used by a bride’s family to carry symbolic gifts—float together in a dark, water-filled space beneath a bridge. Bound yet drifting, illuminated from within, they echo both ritual and release.
Like my mother’s long-held preparations, they linger, then quietly drift away.
Constant Dropping Wears Away A Stone
25’ x 7’, site installation, Cuyahoga Community College Western Campus
No Matter How Hard I Yell
Installation, Sculpture Center, Cleveland
No Matter How Hard I Yell is inspired by one of my recurring dreams. I am hanging in the dark outside of a building window where I lived in my hometown. I am yelling for help from people in the room to try to pull myself back inside, but no matter how hard I yell, my voice vanishes in the wind.
I struggle helplessly, extremely alone, and terrified that I will run out strength and fall. No Matter How Hard I Yell is a series of work depicting physical and emotional pain and symbolizing the hopeless struggle and suffering in life.
1. Upon entering the gallery space viewers encounter the first piece on the left, which is a hospital bed covered with a white sheet and a video of a face illuminated from below.
2. Soon, one discovers that some large ceiling tiles in the gallery have been removed. A young girl’s hand grabs the end of a giant aqua balloon that is floating above in the dark space. This installation gives the viewer a strong feeling of isolation and fear.
3. Continuing through the dark space, the viewer encounters a set of wooden stairs leading up to the far wall and a mysterious opening. As individuals climb the stairs, person feel warm air stream from the negative space. Peering through the open space in the wall, they feel the warmth emanating from the space drawing in the senses and transporting you to a dream world. They are standing on a skyscraper in a dark night. There are countless windows below they that vanish into an abyss.