Heaven Net / Luoi Troi 2009
The title of this work, Heaven Net / Luoi Troi, refers to the symbol of the universal law of nature and the divine justice, from a spiritual perspective in Vietnam. The concept of Heaven Net plays an important role in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.
In Vietnamese culture (both Confucion and Buddhist) there is a custom for burning paper objects to send a message to the spirits, therefore paper boats have significance to the afterlife of any person that has a relationship with boats in their lifetime. Boat and nets are inseparable essential elements for the lives of Vietnamese people living near lakes, rivers and the ocean. In my artwork the boats, instead of fish, are caught in the net. The 150 paper boats, suspended in the fishing net, are illuminated with tiny LED globes. The lights are sequenced to slowly move in a wave-like motion across the net. This artwork plays with physical scale and expresses the fragility of life in the face of the ocean, sometimes calm, at other times threatening.
Heaven Net / Luoi Troi: Do paper, bamboo, fishing net, wire, LED globes, microprocessor controlled lighting sequencer. 6m x 8m.
Exhibited: Nam Bang! at Casula Powerhouse, Western Sydney.