Today, Tomorrow, and the Tales from the Wind
Finland, Iceland. China Photography, Sound, Performance, Installation “Today, Tomorrow, and the Tales from the Wind” is an ongoing photography and sound exploration of the human-nature co-existence, interpreted through an imaginative dialogue by reconstructing photos and sounds from the Nordic regions and East Asia. Together with sound and vocal experiments, photography is expanded as a synesthetic performative medium. This project involves creating photographs by overlapping and double-exposing images captured during sensory field trips and everyday life in Finland, Iceland, and China. Responding to the questionable concept of the Nordics as a “Utopia” of human-nature co-existence, these images serve as visual metaphors, combining natural and artificial elements to reimagine a fragile utopia—a fable for tomorrow—reflecting on the current human-nature co-existence challenges. Inspired by my upbringing amidst rapid urban expansion in China and subsequent relocation to Finland, I draw from regional heritage, myths, and folklore to capture the surealistic utopian fantasy. Having witnessed the demolition of a vast forest I grew up with in my hometown in China due to the construction of a new amusement park, and relocating to Finland, I participated in activism against deforestation in Finland, mourning the loss of forests and nature through collective singing. This journey heightened my awareness of the need to confront the challenges we all face and allowed me to convey my grief over the loss of my homeland’s forests and ecological degradation. This project is a “story of life.” I began with the lost forest of my childhood, weaving a narrative of personal memory and the universal struggle for survival. It is also a fable of grief and hope, today and the future.