You be Good, I Love You

You be Good, I Love You
A comprehensive exploration of avian language and mortality

"You Be Good, I Love You" represents an artistic exploration into the intricacies of avian communication and mortality. Inspired by the poignant legacy of Alex the parrot, known for his profound intelligence and emotional depth, whose last words were the touching phrase "You Be Good, I Love You," the project's title resonates with the themes in Ted Chiang's "Great Silence" and the enigmatic Fermi Paradox.

Birds, as a nonhuman species capable of communicating with humans, often have their desires for communication with humans left unrecognized. While attempts are made to teach parrots human language, the deeper messages conveyed by these creatures remain overlooked. By delving into the study of the avian language, I aim to unveil the hidden expressions related to human understanding and mortality, highlighting on the often-ignored emotional world of these remarkable creatures.

Pt.1 <You be Good, I Love You>

The first book is an archival research about bird's death and communication, collecting content comes from scientific documents, news, pseudo-scientific papers, mythological stories, and plays. The book is divided in two parts, which are 'Echoes of Avian and the Deafening Silence,' and 'Four Stories'.

Size: 110mm*230mm
(Fully opened: 440mm*230mm)
Pages: 80

Pt.2 <Incomplete Dictionary of Birds Last Words>
The second part of the project offers a glimpse into a world where humans attempt to bridge the gap between their language and the language of birds. In a dictionary of defined natural objects, such as stones, feathers, branches, and artifacts, objects that are most usually for us to see in nature but most often ignored— imagine a dictionary for avian communication.

Size: 140mm*80mm

Pt.3 <Last Words>

The third part of this project takes the form of a scroll, printed on delicate rice paper and sewn onto a branch. This medium becomes a canvas for the application of the previously crafte dictionary of birds language. Within the intricate scroll, I encounter a compelling narrative—the imagined words that birds might express, their unique language laden with messages that often elude our awareness. These words, drawn from the symbolic lexicon I've created, evoke a poignant reflection on the profound and subtle communications that bridge our world with the avian realm.

Size: 1680mm*90mm

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