Michiko Yao
Passing Lily (partial), 2016
A passing lily in the universe
The original Passing Lily consists of seven sequential close-up photographs of a pink lily against a blue background. Each image shows a different stage in the life span of a lily: blossoming, sagging, drying, and falling petals referencing time-lapse photography and scientific nature films. Artificial lily is used. “Mono no aware” is a Japanese term for the awareness of impermanence. This esthetic makes the lily look realistic. However, the impermanence created with an artificial flower challenges the staged beauty and sexuality through the materials presented in our market-driven media culture.
In biology, the lily is a “bisexual flower” that has both male and female reproductive structures. However, flowers are generally associated with femininity and the symbolism of masculinity and femininity of a lily differs from culture to culture. By presenting a flower that is commonly associated with femininity, beauty, fragility, and nature, the work questions the dichotomy between natural/artificial, femininity/masculinity, and male/female.
more info on Michiko Yao.
If in the Los Angeles area using the Red line headed to North Hollywood, you can see the recently installed Passing Lily at the Metro Universal City/Studio City Station, part of the Metro Photographic Lightbox program.
https://www.metro.net/about/art/projects/lightbox/
The original Passing Lily consists of seven sequential close-up photographs of a pink lily against a blue background. Each image shows a different stage in the life span of a lily: blossoming, sagging, drying, and falling petals referencing time-lapse photography and scientific nature films. Artificial lily is used. “Mono no aware” is a Japanese term for the awareness of impermanence. This esthetic makes the lily look realistic. However, the impermanence created with an artificial flower challenges the staged beauty and sexuality through the materials presented in our market-driven media culture.
In biology, the lily is a “bisexual flower” that has both male and female reproductive structures. However, flowers are generally associated with femininity and the symbolism of masculinity and femininity of a lily differs from culture to culture. By presenting a flower that is commonly associated with femininity, beauty, fragility, and nature, the work questions the dichotomy between natural/artificial, femininity/masculinity, and male/female.
more info on Michiko Yao.
If in the Los Angeles area using the Red line headed to North Hollywood, you can see the recently installed Passing Lily at the Metro Universal City/Studio City Station, part of the Metro Photographic Lightbox program.
https://www.metro.net/about/art/projects/lightbox/