Shi Tang
InstallationHatching
Film and Video Birth After Breath
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Birth After Breath
16mm
As embryos gestate within the mother's womb and nature nurtures within the vast cosmos, a paradoxical unity of contradiction emerges between matter and life, chaos and order, scarcity and abundance.
Approaching the origin of life from the perspective of creation myths, the author revisits how life's material develops and intertwines through natural or supernatural processes.
The author revisits Chinese creation myths, "Pan Gu Separates the Sky from the Earth" and "Nüwa Creating Humans," to reexamine the values embedded in these orally transmitted folklore traditions. In the myth of Nüwa creating humans, a breath from her gives life to clay figures. In the myth of Pan Gu creating the world, parasites on his body, called by the wind, transform into the common people at dawn.
The Chinese distill the mystical power of life into an intangible essence, "breath," which represents life itself—a force that cannot be seen or touched.
作者对于⼈类⽣命的起源和由来感到好奇。在⼈类婴⼉没有降临成⼈之前，古⼈类开始漫⻓的演化之前，甚⾄更早的⽣命起源之初，我们怎样去理解⽣命的存在？
当胚胎还在⺟体中孕育，⾃然在宇宙中孕育时，物质与⽣命，混沌与秩序，匮乏与完满呈现出⼀种⽭盾对⽴统⼀的模糊状态。
从创世神话的⻆度再次探讨⽣命起源，在⾃然或超⾃然的历程中⽣命物质是如何发展并且互相关联的。
作者回到中国创世神话“盘古开天辟地”和“⼥娲造⼈”的传说，重新审视⼝⼝相传的⺠间神话体系承载的价值观：在⼥娲造⼈的创世神话中，⼥娲向⼈类吹了⼀⼝⽓，泥⼈由此有了⽣命。在盘古开天地的神话中盘古身上的寄⽣⾍被⻛所号召，变成黎明百姓。
中国⼈把⽣命产⽣的神奇⼒量浓缩在看不⻅摸不着的⼀股⽓中，“呼吸”即代表⽣命。