Let the Wind Carry

They asked what this work is about. It's about life, or rather, the questions of home, homeland, belonging, and identity posed by a few people who met on this island during the summer of 2019. History has given each of us different names at different times; now we are descendants of Han Chinese from the mainland, descendants of sinicized Pingpu tribespeople, Taroko people who have moved down from the mountains, individuals from Hong Kong, and foreigners from Switzerland. We met near Beitou in Taiwan and got to know each other through exchanges in temples, homes and mountainsides—sharing time and stories. Starting with audio recordings that capture everyone’s most cherished tales held deep within their hearts; video serves as an abstract index using smoke as a metaphor—a vessel linking our various wishes for transformation to another realm. They asked what this work is about. It's about life, or rather, the questions of home, homeland, belonging, and identity posed by a few people who met on this island during the summer of 2019. History has given each of us different names at different times; now we are descendants of Han Chinese from the mainland, descendants of sinicized Pingpu tribespeople, Taroko people who have moved down from the mountains, individuals from Hong Kong, and foreigners from Switzerland. We met near Beitou in Taiwan and got to know each other through exchanges in temples, homes and mountainsides—sharing time and stories. Starting with audio recordings that capture everyone’s most cherished tales held deep within their hearts; video serves as an abstract index using smoke as a metaphor—a vessel linking our various wishes for transformation to another realm. They asked what this work is about. It's about life, or rather, the questions of home, homeland, belonging, and identity posed by a few people who met on this island during the summer of 2019. History has given each of us different names at different times; now we are descendants of Han Chinese from the mainland, descendants of sinicized Pingpu tribespeople, Taroko people who have moved down from the mountains, individuals from Hong Kong, and foreigners from Switzerland. We met near Beitou in Taiwan and got to know each other through exchanges in temples, homes and mountainsides—sharing time and stories. Starting with audio recordings that capture everyone’s most cherished tales held deep within their hearts; video serves as an abstract index using smoke as a metaphor—a vessel linking our various wishes for transformation to another realm. They asked what this work is about. It's about life, or rather, the questions of home, homeland, belonging, and identity posed by a few people who met on this island during the summer of 2019. History has given each of us different names at different times; now we are descendants of Han Chinese from the mainland, descendants of sinicized Pingpu tribespeople, Taroko people who have moved down from the mountains, individuals from Hong Kong, and foreigners from Switzerland. We met near Beitou in Taiwan and got to know each other through exchanges in temples, homes and mountainsides—sharing time and stories. Starting with audio recordings that capture everyone’s most cherished tales held deep within their hearts; video serves as an abstract index using smoke as a metaphor—a vessel linking our various wishes for transformation to another realm.