It’s better to give birth to BBQ pork than to you
The title is a reference to an idiom used in Cantonese slang, a phrase that mothers use to jokingly scold their children with. These series of wooden relics are all imbedded with curious phrases like the above.
Shaped by my conservative upbringing in Hong Kong and struggles with chronic illnesses, my parents often use idioms to describe their affection or lack of, for example, 'it's better to give birth to BBQ pork than to me' to describe my burden and uselessness in a humorous way. As a response to my love for semiotics and interest in ancient Eastern philosophy and spirituality, I transformed these idioms into wooden relics. I imbedded them with a series of these phrases in ancient seal script, playing with the notions of functionality and aesthetics in a provoking fusion.
This translates to ‘missing a nerve’, but it describes someone who is idiotic or insensitive to the situation.
2. 生嚿叉燒好過生你
This phrase means it is better to give birth to barbecue pork than to you, meaning the person is useless.
3. 趁佢病攞佢命
Take the other person’s life while they are ill, meaning take advantage of the other person when they are at their worst.
4. 收皮
Collecting skin, meaning shut up.
These phrases are meant to be provocative, contrasting the jewelry-like decorations of the wood. They are meant to be worn on the face, in a way the objects spell out what we don’t dare to say, out loud.
Shaped by my conservative upbringing in Hong Kong and struggles with chronic illnesses, my parents often use idioms to describe their affection or lack of, for example, 'it's better to give birth to BBQ pork than to me' to describe my burden and uselessness in a humorous way. As a response to my love for semiotics and interest in ancient Eastern philosophy and spirituality, I transformed these idioms into wooden relics. I imbedded them with a series of these phrases in ancient seal script, playing with the notions of functionality and aesthetics in a provoking fusion.
- 少咗條筋
This translates to ‘missing a nerve’, but it describes someone who is idiotic or insensitive to the situation.
2. 生嚿叉燒好過生你
This phrase means it is better to give birth to barbecue pork than to you, meaning the person is useless.
3. 趁佢病攞佢命
Take the other person’s life while they are ill, meaning take advantage of the other person when they are at their worst.
4. 收皮
Collecting skin, meaning shut up.
These phrases are meant to be provocative, contrasting the jewelry-like decorations of the wood. They are meant to be worn on the face, in a way the objects spell out what we don’t dare to say, out loud.
