Blue Birds of Our Oceans

Migratory birds, in the context of global warming and urban expansion, increasingly require international alliances for their propagation and survival. What is the identity of the next generation in Taiwan’s evolving composition of transnational families? The artist initiated this project in 2018, drawing from her own Taiwan-Australia family experiences, conducting interviews with transnational families in Tainan, and continuously collecting surveys from international multi-ethnic families. The creation is linked to the group observation of Black-faced Spoonbills, contemplating issues of transnationality or multinationality, borders, identity, immigration, propagation, and co-prosperity. The work invites families across three generations to participate in vocal sound creation, recording a collective human voice mimicking bird calls from multiple generations and languages. This multichannel sound installation is exhibited in tandem with the interview dialogues, interweaving voices and conversations. In the process and the artwork, it questions: Can identity be understood more flexibly or beyond the constraints of mother tongue and nationality? Can the generational trauma of immigration be mitigated by connecting with the ocean and even the universal community? How do living organisms depend on and coexist with local communities? And how can we co-create an environment that is not only sustainable but also conducive to shared prosperity across generations and borders?

Born in 1984 in Changhua. Primarily focused on improvisational vocal performance. In 2006, she obtained a Master of Fine Arts in Sound from RMIT University, Australia, and in 2014, a MA in Experiential and Creative Arts Practices from MIECAT. Since 2003, Alice Hui-Sheng CHANG has performed in art festivals across Asia, Oceania, and Europe, and has held residencies in Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, France, Portugal, Austria, and Belgium. She currently runs the sound space “Ting Shuo Hear Say” studio in Tainan.