Chinese poetry has had little access to a wide audience because of the limitation of literal translation and the culture gap. The American poet Robert Frost said, ”Poetry is what gets lost in translation”. This is a common phenomenon which literal translation faces. My project “Mountain山” is an art installation which I have “translated” from the classical Chinese poem “Written on the Wall of West Forest Temple” to a digital experience. It expresses the idea that our perception of reality is limited by our vantage point, which constantly changes. How we view the mountain greatly changes what we will see. Sometimes, we need more effort to climb to the mountain top in order to see a wider, clearer and more comprehensive picture of the reality. This project aims to break the limitation of traditional translation and engage an international audience with a poetic and immersive experience.

Mountain 山 was originally designed as a museum experience where the mountain sculpture would be hidden in a black box with holes on different surfaces as viewing points. The audience would be able to walk around the box and enjoy different views of the sculpture within. To better fit the online exhibition, I chose to present an interactive video in which the audience can still interact with my project to some extent. View the video below and enjoy your journey. Headphones are recommended.