When I first came across these withered leaves that had holes strewn all over them, they spoke to me of that in-between state of being and not-being.

They reminded me that all phenomena are in a state of transition. A flower carries the essence of a seed and is already moving towards becoming dust.

The installation, titled the sound of one hand clapping, attempts to create a still, contemplative space. The 520 leaves, suspended individually from copper wires, hover inches away from the floor. The interaction, interconnection and activation of the space around are a very important consideration. The title comes from the Zen koan, “what’s the sound of one hand clapping?” In Zen Buddhism, the masters present the disciples with koans or cryptic phrases that encouraged them to reflect upon the meaning of life and the true nature of reality. The koans are meant to make one wonder and to answer that wondering with the truest expression of one’s own nature. That is the dialogue I wish for the viewers to engage in with the installation.

To me, the leaves, shed routinely by the trees, speak of the eternal cycle of life. I see within their being; the sun, the clouds, the soil, the wind, all of the natural phenomena that came together and created the conditions for the leaves’ birth and eventual decay.