In the Tempest, Through the Eaves, Merry Sun

Merry Sun’s interactive sound installation references her ancestral past through the language of historic Chinese architecture. The dou-gong bracketing systems depicted in Sun’s sculptures have been used for millennia and are built to withstand strong storms and earthquakes. Recreating segments of traditional timber-framed roofing structures in concrete, Sun imagines them tunneling through the ground back to her motherland. Strands of terra cotta tile, formed by placing unfired clay slabs on the artist’s body, are suspended in midair and tethered to the cement ruins. They act as disembodied plate armor, sheltering those below while carrying the impressions of her form.