「我出生於香港。香港原來是一個小漁村,在英國人統治後逐漸發展成轉運港口。很久以前香港人就發展出製作和料理鹹魚的方法,鹹魚也是貧民的食物。我的祖父母和我的父親在50年代初從中國逃難至香港,成為生活艱難的新住民,而鹹魚也經常出現在餐桌上。我出生在60年代末的香港,雖然生活和經濟條件已改善,但我的祖父母還經常食用鹹魚,對他們來說鹹魚不只是食物,也是離開家鄉後的生活象徵。我在1987年離開了香港,到臺灣求學,從此定居於臺灣;對我而言,香港鹹魚特殊的味道,是無法取代的家鄉味,也是我家族的集體回憶。在近年香港本土意識的抬頭,鹹魚已列入香港的非物質的文化遺產之一,但隨著歷史和政治的演變,香港本土的鹹魚文化是否能得以保存,實在令人憂心!
《鹹魚和我的行李箱》是以我的成長經歷和當下生活的記憶與想像作品。主要是以刺繡、裝置的創作方式陳述我在英國殖民期間的香港和民國76年至今在臺灣居住的生活經驗。作品中的『鹹魚』是以電腦刺繡和手工縫紉製作,我將鹹魚和經過的政權國旗結合在一起,象徵我個人和我家族的遷移故事。我並以日常用品如:手帕、棉被、舊衣、曬衣架等生活素材為媒介,運用刺繡或生活物件的製造,敘述自身因為社會環境(如歷史、政治、文化、自然環境)與生活條件的改變而持續變異的人生藍圖。」
“I was born in Hong Kong. It was a humble fishing village in the beginning, before its utmost rise to become an international hub of transport during the British colonial rule. The Hong Kong people have developed ways to dry the salt fish under the sun, preserve it and cook it. As a matter of fact, the salt fish is known to be the “food for the poor.”
My grandparents and my father fled China to settle in Hong Kong in the early 1950s. Since then, salt fish had become one of the favorite dishes on the table. I was born in the late 1960s. Despite the fact that livelihood and economies have greatly improved, my grandparents still ate salt fish quite frequently. For them, the salt fish has transcended from simply a dish on the table. It holds symbolic value of the life and hardship that they went through after leaving their hometown.
I left Hong Kong to study in Taiwan in 1987. Since then, I have settled in here. The unique aroma and flavor of salt fish, for me, is an irreplaceable hometown delicacy, which also holds the collective memory of my family. As the rise of indigenousness issue in Hong Kong, the salt fish has already been inscribed as an intangible cultural heritage. Considering the inevitable changes which might occur in historical and political contexts, I worry about the preservation of salt fish culture, which is indigenous to Hong Kong, in the future.
The ‘Salt Fish and My Suitcase’ recounts memories and fantasies of my experiences growing up as well as my life at present. The artwork is in embroidery and installation. The timelines are set in British colonial rule Hong Kong and my life in Taiwan since 1987.
The “Salt Fish” in my work is made with computerized embroidery and hand sewing. I associate the salt fish with the national ensigns of the countries which once ruled Hong Kong. It also represents the symbolic migrant stories of my family and mine. I use daily items, such as handkerchiefs, comforters, old clothes, and hangers as various media. Through embroidering and making of these daily objects, I forge a blueprint of lives undergone flux due to changes occurred in social environment (such as history, politics, culture, and natural environment) and living conditions.”