Hsian Jung Chen
P001 → The One That Remains
The One That Remains, Ceramics, gold luster, rice straw, paper, wood, hemp rope, 1230°C oxidation & reduction, 120 x 40 x 40 cm, 2025
《留下來的燕子》，陶瓷、金水、稻草、紙、木板、繩，1230°C 氧化燒/還原燒， 120 x 40 x 40 cm，2025
This work was the main project of my residency at Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park (SCCP) in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
Outside the studio, along the long corridor, many swallows arrive each spring to build nests and raise their young, then migrate southward at the end of summer. Like in Taiwan, swallows in Japan are also seen as symbols of good fortune and safety, and people coexist peacefully with them. During my residency, I happened to witness the swallows’ nesting and growth. One day, I found the body of a fledgling on the corridor floor, its feathers not yet fully grown, likely fallen from its nest. Before insects could arrive, I buried it under a tree not far from the nest and placed on it a small shoe-shaped flower vessel by the resident artist Recio san, inserting wildflowers to commemorate this fleeting life.
Since then, I have often thought of this little swallow — falling before it had learned to fly, left behind while its family had already migrated south. I reflected on the transience and impermanence of life. In response, I created a ceramic swallow representing the deceased bird, along with various sculptures inspired by Japanese ritual objects and kagami mochi customs, combined with straw-woven shimenawa cords to form a mixed-media installation. This work serves as both a ritual and a commemoration. Through it, I tried to engage with a Japanese aesthetic understanding of impermanence — not merely sadness, but a wisdom of perceiving beauty and meaning through the finite — exemplified in concepts such as mono no aware and mujō . This little swallow became the core of my residency project and reflected my time and contemplation at SCCP, quietly guiding me toward somewhere new.
This journey was made possible through the support of Taiwan Ministry of Culture, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan, and Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park.
留下來的燕子
這件作品是我在日本滋賀縣陶芸の森駐村的主要計畫。
工作室外的長廊，每年春季迎來許多燕子在此築巢、繁育下一代，牠們在夏季尾聲往南方的國度遷徙。跟台灣一樣，燕子在日本也有好運、平安之意，因此大家皆能與之和平共處。在我駐村期間，剛好見證燕子的孵育及長成。有天，長廊地板上躺著一隻羽毛未豐的雛燕屍體，估計是從巢墜落了。我在小燕子屍體引來蟲蠅之前，找個離巢不遠處的樹下，將牠埋葬，放上駐村藝術家 Recio san 的小鞋子花器，插上野花追悼這一瞬的生命。
之後，我經常想起這隻小燕子，想到牠還沒學會飛翔前便墜落；想起牠的家族皆已南遷，而牠獨留與此；想到生命的轉瞬和無常。於是我用陶土做了死去的燕子，以及轉化自日本祭祀道具及鏡餅習俗之各種雕塑，結合稻草編織的注連繩，組成複合媒材裝置作品，作為一種祭祀及悼念。試圖回應日本美學裡對「短暫」並不僅僅是悲傷，而是一種透過有限而感知美與意義的智慧，例如其「物の哀れ」、「無常」等哲思。這隻小燕子成為我此次駐村創作的核心，也回映了我在陶芸の森的駐村時光和思考，牠默默引領我到一個與以往不同的創作境界。
這段旅程得以實現，承蒙臺灣文化部、台北駐日経済文化代表処台湾文化センター、陶芸の森的支持。
During my residency, I created vessels using local Shigaraki clay and traditional Japanese glaze recipes. Previously, I had only experienced oxidation firing in electric kilns, but here I also experimented with gas firing, reduction firing, and wood firing.