Drawing from Taoist burial rituals, the crab is transported to the afterlife by the alchemy of fire. This is in hopes of creating an otherworldly archive which can be accessed in the future, whilst memories are prohibited in the present.
During its lifetime the crab survives & grows by ingesting its shed exoskeleton each time it moults; its final shell embodies all the layers of its lived experience making the crab an archive unto itself.
In detail:
I recreated the body of a blue flower crab, a species indigenous to Hong Kong, out of wax. The crab legs are made out of bamboo cane and paper. In traditional Chinese funerals, relatives procure similarly made paper effigies which include items such as clothing, houses or even pets all made out of paper and bamboo cane. These are burnt as fire is believed to transport these valued items to the afterlife. In "Crab, alight!...", this rite is carried out to the legs of the crab as they embody its fight and its expressions in hopes these will be preserved by the magic of geomancy.
The crab is also chosen due to the trauma it endures every time it moults (the shedding of its exoskeleton to grow), yet moulting is the necessary biological phenomenon which ensures the species’ survival. The trauma suffered by Hongkongers due to the political violence of the last few years has become a core part of our identity. Remembering these traumatic core memories are necessary to the survival of Hongkongers. The crab is an embodied archive of the recent history of Hong Kong.
In the work, the crab body sits on a skeleton of bricks, an item often used by protestors in Hong Kong to deter police vehicles. The form of the body is cast in wax from pieces of drift wood, just as the HK diaspora is shaped by the currents of our times. The sediments inside the wax and the colour of the legs were selected for their symbolism of Hong Kong & the protest movement.