“Confluence” was initiated during a residency in Jordan in 2023, leverages the power of calligraphy to explore the themes of water's symbolism, language, identity, and environment. Through creating a 160-foot scroll in Chinese, Hebrew, and Arabic, I staged a performance in the Wadi Rum desert unrolling and blending the scroll along a sand dune to symbolize a 'scroll river,' honoring water as a vital resource in the region.
The scroll was installed at Gathering Future Ancestors in Brooklyn. This was the first time I unrolled the scroll since Wadi Rum and it still carried the grains of sand from the desert. The work suspended above the audience became a quiet hope for those who passed through.
As people connected by waters, we can’t help but be intertwined and we need to exercise compassion at all times. Accept that we will have feelings of anger, distress, helplessness, but try to move forward in kindness without malice.
