"always open halfway through" is the last sentence of the famous poet "love at first sight" by Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska. Marcus, director of the Gordon Snelgrove Art Museum, suggested that I use this sentence to summarize my creation in Canada. This sentence used at the end of the poem is somewhat embarrassing and playful, that is, it is unbroken, and it extends the former feelings and projects the future.

 

“Love at First Sight” is a famous poem by the Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska. The poem plays with the concepts of destiny and serendipity. 

 

The poem left an impression on me and I was drawn to read it over and over again, reflecting on the depth and layers of meaning. Life is not always logical, sometimes there is an underlying mystery to the series of random events that make up human existence. Our seemingly logical lives are composed of chain of events that are multidimensional and at times, unanticipated. 

 

The seemingly random encounter(s) between two individuals can go unnoticed but can also become a sublime experience arousing feeling of curiosity, uncertainty, providence, and destiny. In this so called ambiguous (synonym for fuzzy) space between the mystical  and the concrete , glimpses of possibility and life expression manifest themselves. In this poem, Szymborska beautifully conveys the mysterious interconnection between time and space, susceptibility (synonym for sensibility) and reason, the predestined and coincidental  and this literary work beautifully describes what most of us like to call “fate”.

 

I would like to use this beautiful and meaningful poem as the foundation for an interactive public art work. The original text of “Love at First Sight” is in Polish and the poem has already undergone translations into many different languages. I would like to connect with first, second, and third generation Canadians as well as indigenous populations with the intent and hope that these individuals would translate the poem into their native language from English . 

 

Not everyone has experienced love at first sight, but that is not the point, we have all experienced love. I expect to see variation in the translations since individuals have slightly varied emotional landscapes, experiences, backgrounds, identities, and world views. Furthermore, I would like to allow individuals creative freedom and encourage self-expression on the visual execution of the translations. Individuals will have the freedom to handwrite the translations on a medium of their choice not limited in shape and size. 

 

The translations will be displayed as part of the “Trace "exhibition at Snelgrove Gallery at the University of Saskatchewan in December, 2018. 

 

I chose Canada as a symbolic undertone for this project due to its unique multicultural makeup and identity. Canada is a relatively young country and one made up of human migration transcending generations, cultures, national identities, and borders. Individuals from all walks of life either chose Canada or ended up in Canada by chance. (They perhaps fell in love, made new friends, adopted a family, worked the land, made a discovery, and most importantly forged a new identity.)*

 

Through the Exhibition, it is my goal to connect people. I want to encourage people to come and view the “Love at First Sight” manuscripts and reflect on the thoughts and feelings generated by the different interpretations of the poem (both in terms of content and the visual)*.

 

Then by this work, the longer the time axis of my life in Canada is drawn, the more subtle changes I have come from in humanities, nature, and climate, the final solo. From the time of this warp, interspersed with different activities and dialogues, forming a feeling of big and small audio-visual touch. These feelings are dissipated by the powerful field magnetic field formed by nature and human society and are released and finally closed.

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