"Whisper"(Group Project)

Our project is an installation that uses two special materials, ice and Hydrochromic Ink. Ice has a strong connection with climate change, and we want to take this feature of ice melting easily to make our work changeable and ephemeral, while ice also represents vulnerability, hinting at the impacts of climate change on women's lives, and emphasizing the urgency of the climate. The melting ice turns into water making the ink gradually turn from white to transparent. The pattern of red lines on the canvas slowly emerges as the ice melts, representing the route women take to fetch water, highlighting the effort and time women spend in the process, and more comprehensively demonstrating the challenges and inequalities they face in the face of the climate crisis. Our work aims to advocate for more social support and concern for women and vulnerable groups.

The name “Whisper“ was inspired by a story we researched about women in Tibetan areas, who are silent and whispering when men are around, but they feel freer and more inclined to express their inner thoughts when men are not present. This soft form of whispering is like the faint sound of melting ice, and it also represents the woman's voice.

We considered using ice as a material because ice has a lot of meanings, ice symbolises fragility and flow, it also represents silence and oppression of women, just as ice seals the water, by using ice we can present the act of women fetching water more Vividly. We also considered using a special ink called Hydrochromic ink, which is white coloured, symbolising the state of being covered up and obscured, suggesting that women's voices and presence are often ignored, but by applying the water to this ink it becomes transparent, representing the fact that we wanted to present the women's real situation as well as deconstructing the responsibilities and expectations that the society imposes on women.

The inspiration for the painting comes from the brushstrokes of some abstract painters concerning the shapes of maps and pathways. Red and white acrylic paints are used to depict them on the canvas. Then, a second layer of special paint is applied to cover the original red brushstrokes. This unique paint changes colour when it encounters water. After waiting for some time, the original red brushstrokes emerge.