“Ecclesiastes” is from the Old Testament Bible, written around 935-539 BC. It is a philosophical book that questions what life is about, expresses how life is meaningless like chasing after the wind. There is a time for everything, and everyone will die one day returning to dust. “Ecclesiastes” seems to express negative thinking, whereas it gives a realistic description of various life experiences and dilemmas. The books concludes with an admonition of “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” (12:13), reminding everyone that it is all by grace and everyone should enjoy simple joys each day as they live. 

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The artist invited people of different ages, nationalities, experiences, cultural backgrounds and beliefs to read out Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, as a representation of people around the world and their different journeys. Therefore, memorial flowers from strangers were collected at the funeral parlor after ceremonies by the artist. After the preservation of colors by dehydration and transformed it to powder. She then recorded the floating motion of it as a manifestation of dust to dust. Life and death are happening every moment: the powdered flowers that once witnessed life and death, now wilted; as it scatters its fluid motion is projected onto a stabilized screen made of the same material; the gathering and dispersal motion generates a certain level of unpredictability; together with the continuing voices, it creates a strong contrast as well as to open discussion on the happenings between life and death.  

Even so, the artist subtly incorporates her own view into the name title – Let the pure depart in purity. Same line“From a pure origin, purely came and purely gone” is referenced from Cao Xueqin’s “Flowers’ burial song”. Jia Baoyu scattered wilted flowers into the river, while his lover Lin Daiyu decided to put them into a silk pouch and buried them in soil. It is all about looking at the nature of everything with a pure perspective, including the happenings of all events in life, and death.  

“2021 is the 10th anniversary of mum’s passing, this art piece originated from her and has my thoughts for her.”

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《傳道書》來自舊約聖經，成書於公元前約935年至539年。內容充滿哲理，為人生的意義和本質發出令人深省的問題；帶出人生的虛空如捕風，萬事都有定期，人固有一死，最終仍歸於塵土。《傳道書》似乎表達消極的思想，卻真實地刻畫人生的種種體驗和矛盾。全書以經文「敬畏上帝，謹守他的誡命，這是人所當盡的本分」（12:13）以勸誡作結，提醒人們應該享受每日簡單的快樂，吃喝勞作，都是恩典。

藝術家邀請了來自不同年紀、國家、人生閱歷、文化背景和信仰的人，讀出《傳道書》第三章1-8節，表達世界上眾生的歷程；並在殯儀館收集陌生人的花牌，保存花的色澤後磨粉，透過錄像記錄花粉漂散的狀態。生死每時每刻都在發生：流動的聲音與曾見證生死卻已枯乾的花粉；其漂散的影像投射在定格的花粉螢幕上；花粉所呈現的聚散無常，都形成強烈的對比－開放式地感悟生死間所發生的事情。

藝術家微妙地把個人的體會寄存於作品名稱上，「質本潔來還潔去」一詞起源於曹雪芹中的《葬花吟》，賈寶玉把枯萎的花瓣放在河流上隨水漂流，而林黛玉卻把它們放在絲綢造的袋內，埋在泥中，道出如何乾乾淨淨地對待所有事物的本質，包括生命中所發生的一切，還有生死。

「2021年正值是媽媽離世十週年，這作品是起源於她的，也包含了我對她的思念。」