“I Wish” is an art installation that addresses anti-Asian hate. This piece was a project for my Chinese Calligraphy class which took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic where anti-Asian sentiment reached a new height.
“I Wish” was inspired by the Japanese legend that states the person who folds 1,000 cranes will be granted a wish. “I Wish” features 1,000 hanging origami cranes with notes attached to them. Each individual note contains the wish of an anonymous individual. These wishes revolve around what these individuals hope to change/improve revolving anti-Asian hate crimes, what they wished never happened, or what they wish society would understand in order to erase this atmosphere of hatred and discrimination. This piece aims to inspire the Asian American community and to spread awareness to others.
Submit your wish: Here
Going into further detail about the components of the installation: The cranes are strung together with plastic beading thread and glass beads to separate them. They are then all connected to a wire ring with branches glued on, which will then be hanging from a tree. The branches are present to help blend the wire ring onto the foliage of the tree and to create a nest-like structure to allude to the cranes flying out of a nest. Due to the pandemic the notes will not be hand written by the individual. The wishes will be collected through google forms and then hand written by me in order to give a sense of intimacy to the messages. Furthermore, the notes will feature black Chinese ink splatters in order to reveal how the individuals have gone through dark hardships facing the reality of anti-Asian hate crimes. While the cranes, in contrast, will be colorful and untouched by the dark ink linking to the hopeful nature of the wishes.
The artwork was displayed at my local park on May 31, 2021 for the community to enjoy. Here are a few pictures taken during that day.
Installation
Set Up
Progress Documentation
