Caressing Patina

  The practice of 文玩 has been embedded in the Chinese culture for centuries. Now days 文玩 is mostly taken as a leisure activity for passing time, it’s both an exercise for hand to occupy while the same time meditation for the mind. The physical manifestations can take years to develop, depending on the physical properties of the user and the frequency of use. The process is known as 盘(Caressing), roughly translated to caress in a circular motion. With 包浆 (wood patina) as the physical evidence for this process.

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  Stemmed from my own years of obsession with this process (although my choice of material is mostly amber), the obsession to achieve an imaginary goal; the patience for time and body for the process to take, and the mental struggle to accept the unexpected change is how this body of work came to be. This process of 盘 (Caressing), had reminded me of frottage drawings; where the motions of the hands to feeling the textured surface is worked into the tangible medium that gives physical markings that’s evident to this commitment. 

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   I’ve translated this process through wax carving. Where the rough texture of an uncut stone is captured thru wax by working molten wax around the stone repeatedly. The conversation between the hand; the medium and the objects are repetitive; uncomfortable (working with hot molten wax) and frustrating (unexpected failures of the impression; cracking during the last steps). The stones are worn down by fractions with each pass. I’ve chosen bronze as my casted material for its physical endurance and visualisation for the 包浆 that have taken place.