Françoise

2015, video, HD 16:9, couleur, sonore, en boucle.

“Rumor has it that people who live in the Arctic communicate with one another in a very unique way: because the snow-filled air freezes people’s voices into blocks of snow and prevents them from hearing one another, they take the snow blocks home, turn on the stove, melt the snow, and listen carefully.”  - written by Xia-Yu

In Françoise, the wishes and dreams of different individuals are put together: “please make my dream come true,” “I wish to become a useful person,” “I wish to live a life without worry,” and “I wish to see my father again.” Particular attention is attached to their speeches and wishes, or more specifically, the “flow of ideas” hidden behind their words (regardless of whether their words come from a foreign language). The statements made by these individuals form “sparks,” which are transferred to the “other side” and received by “listeners/others” in mediation. The voice fields created in this literary work are like a painting made by multiple authors, in which all individual statements are converted into sounds and form a “web of ideas” in a chaotic yet orderly space. In this “web of ideas,” people seem to communicate both with themselves and with others. As the incessant wishes continue to repeat themselves, the faces of the wishers gradually fade, and the wishes are separated from the individuals making them. Nevertheless, the speeches continue to search for their recipients. The “listeners/others” asked to grant the wishes are gradually revealed, similar to the printing of coin pictures on paper until the images are clearly shown. Such wishes epitomize the dreams and aspirations of people of the past and those of the present.