Gazing at the Moon

Gazing at the Moon explores the relationship between western and eastern cultures while studying abroad in San Francisco. In my daily life, I can see a variety of cultures which exist in the same city. I enjoy observing and thinking about those scenes of hybrid cultures which are absurd and weird, but fascinating. Photography and the style of Chinese painting represent the western and eastern cultures separately in my project. I use the techniques of the Cyanotype process to imitate the aesthetics of Chinese ink-wash painting. Also, I chose the iconic mountains of China and the USA as subjects to symbolize either the eastern or western culture. Due to the tough situation in the USA in 2020, I am trapped alone in my room. This is my strongest emotions of loneliness and missing my family so far in my life. In Chinese culture, the full moon symbolizes family reunion. I purposely created the same moon shape to represent that when we look up at the moon that is the same moon in the sky of our hometown no matter where we are in the world. This is the deep emotion of missing family.