Read me - Yunting Xia

MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins
Clay and Fabric
 
In this work "Read Me", the image of the "little girl" is transformed into a chair with closed eyes, marking the change of her psychological state. The "support" attribute of the chair implies her inner stability, while the book that is opened in her hands becomes the external carrier of her psychological content, symbolizing that she actively shows her inner world to the outside world. This transformation continues the psychological development from closed (room), transition (balcony) to open (book) in my series of works.
During the creation process, I burned the edges of each page of this "book" with fire, leaving natural scorch marks on the fabric, which are like the imperfect but unique marks that exist on everyone. But I deliberately dyed the two unfolded pages into symmetrical patterns, symbolizing that a certain balance can be maintained in chaos.
The outer shell of the book is made very hard, and it is wrapped with a layer of hollow lace fabric. This also reflects the current mentality of the "little girl": although a protective shell is built, it is no longer completely closed.