The earthquake in 2008 was an unprecedented catastrophe in the history of China. To remember this event and pay tribute to life, Shu created “Flowers of Life” out of the ashes of two twin sisters whose precious lives were lost in the earthquake after getting the consent of their parents.
Interpretation
The unexpected Sichuan earthquake raises many questions on life and society. First of all, it teaches us to learn to respect nature and life. Also, the reconstruction of the earthquake-stricken areas should be more than the mere construction of buildings so that people can have a city to live in that is similar to the one destroyed in the disaster. We also need to focus on the “reconstruction” of the heart and our attitude towards life. We need to build a new value system towards life, which represents an innovation in our civilization. Shu Yong created a sculpture entitled “Flowers of Life” out of ashes of two beautiful twin sisters whose lives were taken by the earthquake. This is an experiment that greatly challenges the conventional concepts and shows us a new way to understand life and death. However, this project is criticized by a large number of people.Natural disasters teach us that our lives are insignificant. We are still in an era when even the most modern technology is not able to prevent the happening of natural disasters. So presenting the disaster through artworks might be a good way to show our courage in the fight against them. There are many ways to remember a catastrophe and the dignity and value of every lost life in the Sichuan earthquake shall be respected. We need to be absolutely sure about that. Any behavior that shows any signs of disrespect towards the victims shall be criticized. But we should not doubt Shu Yong’s great respect of and strong feelings for the victims. To mourn the deaths in the earthquake and express their sympathy and condolences for the victims, a large number of people from across the globe, who had never met each other before in their lives, spontaneously lit candles in the evening right after the catastrophe, which shows our common belief that we shall never yield to any natural disaster. We want to express our feelings toward the deceased in such artistic ways, as they can bring our traumatized minds serenity and comfort and make sure the victims live forever in our memories. It is our way to remember them and our way to warn ourselves to be more cautious in the future.
