in-betweenness在之中

My ceramic practice investigates the concept of ‘in-betweenness’ between Taiwan and Britain.
​I always felt very conflicted between these two worlds.
Living away from my homeland Taiwan, gives me a ‘ clearer ’ perspective of the culture in which I grew up.  These emotions that built inside of me, The cross-cultural experience provides a platform, from which I can address the questions of who I am and how I might express, and communicate my experience of in-betweenness as a place where I can survive - where I can draw breath to help me cope with the challenges of living in two cultures. 

---

Living in two cultures

 I would like to find a place to feel safe for the inner peace, unfortunately, in the real world, I cannot find this place. I have been living the UK for twelve years, almost all Taiwanese people feel I am not Taiwanese anymore. Almost all British people feel I am not British. I always felt a displacement being an outsider, I am living in side myself. I do not belong to any cultural identity, I am living in the space called ‘in-betweeness’ to find my own cultural identity.

i decided to write

the poems in different languages as a visible way to play. I wrote this poem to show how living ‘in-between’ is enhancing other people’s understanding of East and West and shifting this identity in the present world:[1]
 
In-betweens  在之中
 
between the homeland and foreign land  
在家鄉和異鄉之中
between the blue and pink                           
 在藍色和粉紅色之中
between death and living                               
在生和死之中
between love and hate                                     
在愛和恨之中
between peace and war                                  
在和平和戰爭之中
between black and white                               
在黑和白之中
between writing and making                         
在寫作和陶瓷製作之中
between artistic world and real world       
在藝術的世界和真實世界之中
between line and shape                                   
在線條和形體之中
between speak and non-speak                      
在說和不說之中
between theory and practice                         
在理論和實踐之中
between normal and non-normal                  
在正常和不正常之中
between banana and apple                              
在香蕉和蘋果之中
between time and space                                   
在時間和空間之中
between real and surreal                                 
在真實和超現實之中
between construct and destroy                     
在建構和摧毀之中
between control and out-of- control             
在掌控和失序之中
between surface and depth                              
在表面和深奧之中
 
The writing shows two types of language systems, I found it was challenging and ‘appropriate ’ wording to shift between two languages, and keep the meanings still similar or the same.[2]

[1] Wen-Hsi Chen. On edge: an exploration of cultural identity through ceramic practice. (Bath Spa University, School of Art and Design, PHD, 2018: 128)

[2]  Chen, On edge: an exploration of cultural identity through ceramic practice, 129

My ceramic practice

 comforts me to to create my own reality, I use the tips of my thumbs and forefingers to create tiny and careful actions to represent my own small voice. This meditative movement is between pressing and pushing, is between inhaling and exhaling. Each small individual porcelain fingerprint is a reconstruction of my cultural identity. Identity represents complex layers in relation to social and gender contexts. My homeland Taiwan, is at the edge of the developed world, and is situated within a colonial and postcolonial status. As a Taiwanese I decided to use rich enamel and gold lustre to emphasize this concept of the edge.

my personal life experience

 
is still challenging, I am learning to find a way to live in ‘in-between’ as an ceramic artist with my creative practice.
​ 
Bibliography
 
Wen-Hsi, Chen. 2018. On edge: an exploration of cultural identity through ceramic practice.  Bath School of Art and Design. Bath Spa University. England. UK. A thesis for the degree of Doctor Philosophy, p128-129.

2013-2018        Doctor of Philosophy
                            Practice- led PhD in ceramics
                            Bath Spa University.
                           School of Art & Design. Bath, UK
                            PhD Thesis is On edge:
                            an exploration of cultural identity
​                            through ceramic practice
                            http://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/11561/
                            British Library EThOS https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=1&uin=uk.bl.ethos.760284

---