Poem of Synonyms
Participatory project and VR installation, dimension variable, 2021
What does the word “synonym” entail? Why is it necessary to have one word that is absolutely synonymous and pragmatically interchangeable with another word? If there is a slight difference between two synonyms—in their semantic meanings, practical usage, implicated connotations, do they still count as synonyms? What are the structural relations among words in a system of symbols? How does the mechanism of meaning-differentiation work?
Having long been fascinated by the abstract/poetic aspects of languages, I intend to create an interactive web application which allows the audience to navigate in a visualized/materialized universe of synonymous words. Relations among words are mapped out in the form of dynamic structures whose physical qualities in this virtual universe embody certain linguistic properties.
In order to create this text-based work, participants are invited to meet up with the artist, have a chat, and answer some simple questions (in written form). The questions will focus on giving explanations and listing synonyms of words.
同義詞之詩
參與式計畫、VR裝置，大小視場地而定，2021年
「同義詞」一詞本身便充滿矛盾——若兩個詞語的意義與用法完全相同、彼此可相互取代，其同時存在的必要性為何？詞彙間的相對關係與語言體系的內在結構有什麼關聯？當語彙的意涵隨著使用、詮釋、解讀、誤讀、演繹而產生改變，它與其他詞語又會產生何種結構性的交互作用呢？
〈同義詞之詩〉為一參與式計畫，以互動應用程式(web application)的形式於展覽中呈現。觀賞作品時，觀者將會進入一個充滿文字的虛擬空間，相關的詞彙在這個「字詞宇宙」中形成網狀結構，向外開展，並隨著觀者的點擊拖曳而有不同的回應。
作品執行期間，本團隊將邀請參與者會面聊聊、書寫一小段文字、回答數個簡答題（主要內容為解釋字詞及聯想遊戲），書寫的內容將成為上述字詞宇宙的組成元素。透過〈同義詞之詩〉，我期望能引領觀眾走入字詞的迷宮/宇宙，於眾多詞彙的連結中找尋詩意的線索。