What is the island for you?
你認為島嶼是什麼？

If islands had consciousness, how should they communicate with each other?
倘若島嶼有知，它們之間應該透過什麼形式溝通？

How would you interpret the concept behind this form?
你會如何解讀這個形式的背後概念系統？

Tammy Hsieh

Islands are a state of being, each independent, yet interdependent. Each island has its own characteristics, and no island is the same as another, at least those that haven’t been fully exploited by capitalism. An island can appear to form a closed system, but it can also be vulnerable to external influences that can upset the balance of the system.

There are various kinds of communication between islands: the neighboring islands are crossed by each other’s boats; to talk to the distant islands, one has to follow the guidance of the stars, sail with the currents, and follow the movement of the monsoon. The subjects of communication are not only people, but also goods, plants, animals, languages and images.

I think the concept of an archipelago may become more extensive, each person is no longer an inseparable existence on a piece of land, but an independent and autonomous island. But the islands can accompany and connect with each other, forming different shapes each time, just like when we look up at the starry sky, the stars can be connected into countless patterns.

島嶼間的溝通各式各樣：鄰近的群島，彼此船隻往來交錯；要跟遠方的島嶼對話，那就追尋著星星的指引，順著洋流航行，跟著季風的移動。溝通的主體不只是人，還有貨物、植物、動物、語言跟圖像。

我想群島的概念也許會變得更為廣泛，每個人不再是一片土地上密不可分的存在，而是各自形成一座座獨立自主的島嶼。但島與島之間能夠彼此陪伴、串連，每次形成不同的形狀，如同我們仰望星空，滿天星點可以連線成無數的圖樣。