ZIYAO LIN
The Paradox of Abandon
The artist carries a flag, walking through different locations. The flag, a symbol traditionally associated with collective identity and sovereign control, gains a contradictory meaning with the printed word “ABANDON” in red. Since 1604, the word "ABANDON" has often occupied the first position in most English vocabulary books, seemingly foreshadowing the inevitable psychological tug-of-war between giving up and persevering when learning a new language. The large red letters symbolize the intense frustration experienced by non-native English speakers when confronted with language barriers, while the small blue handwritten text represents repetition and persistence. As English has become the global lingua franca, learning English is no longer merely about acquiring a communication tool but has become an essential means of attaining power in the context of globalization. The work uses the metaphor of "the dragon slayer eventually becoming the dragon" to explore the complexities of language and power.
2024.08.
Introduction
"But we must never forget that this marvelous relationship of communication, the exchange of language, is also a relationship of symbolic power. It is through this that power relations between speakers, or between their respective groups, are established."
"For the dream of absolute power, language is undoubtedly the primary supporting force."
— What Language Means by Pierre Bourdieu
Project Details
From August 11th to August 20th, for a total of ten days, I spent two hours each day transcribing text onto the flag until the entire surface was covered. The text comes from an English book of speeches. I purchased this book in 2017, but it wasn't until 2024 that I opened it again. Over these seven years, I have only completed the first speech of the entire book. This feels just like when I try to memorize vocabulary but only manage to remember the first word, which, coincidentally, is "Abandon." For me, learning English has been a monotonous and repetitive process.
Mechanical memorization and transcription are common and fundamental methods of learning, but it is worth noting that language is far more complex than just vocabulary and grammar. Behind language lies judgment, choice, the understanding of complex foreign cultures, and the comprehension of what is unspoken. As Bourdieu writes in his book, “Although these phrases may be theoretically equivalent, they are not equivalent in practice.”
The use of language involves mobilizing known information and resources to effectively express intentions, and the moment language is communicated, it risks being rejected.
“Only expressions that conform to specific conventions will be accepted or effective.” Considering what is accepted and what is effective leads us into a set of mechanisms of social control and self-identity.
About the Paradox
01 Abandon as a Starting Point
Encountering the word “abandon” at the very beginning of learning a language inherently carries a sense of absurdity.
02 Loss as Gain
By mastering English, learners enter a globalized context to seek opportunities and discourse. However, in doing so, they are actually stepping into the structure of power itself.
Video
Size of artwork
Flag: 192cm*120cm
Flagpole: 2.5cm*250cm
Medium
Performance, Video, 3 minutes 44
Images Credit
German Late Medieval Manuscript Depiction of the Tower of Babel
Source: Manuscript of Rudolf von Ems' Weltchronik, cgm 5 fol. 29r (c. 1370s). Image via Wikipedia. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.
The Confusion of Tongues by Gustave Doré
Source: The Confusion of Tongues by Gustave Doré, 1865. Woodcut depicting the Tower of Babel. Image via Wikipedia. Public Domain.
Bibliographic References
Bourdieu, P. (1991) Language and Symbolic Power. Harvard University Press.
Haun, M. (2017) ‘Language is power: How our words reflect and affect our world’, VeraContent, 1 May. Available at: https://veracontent.com/mix/language-power-how-our-words-reflect-affect-our-world/ (Accessed: 23 August 2024).
Ng, S.H. and Deng, F. (no date) ‘Language and Power’, in Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Available at: https://oxfordre.com/communication/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-436 (Accessed: 23 August 2024).
Sun, J.J.-M., Hu, P. and Ng, S.H. (2017) ‘Impact of English on education reforms in China: with reference to the learn-English movement, the internationalisation of universities and the English language requirement in college entrance examinations’, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 38(3), pp. 192–205. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2015.1134551.
Times, G. (no date) A thing of the past: Word ‘abandon’ no longer takes the first position in the dictionary - Global Times. Available at: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202311/1302370.shtml?id=11 (Accessed: 23 August 2024).