They, small dunes
by Featured Artist: Yixuan Pan
Yixuan Pan, They, small dunes, watercolor animation, 2015. Courtesy of the artist.
THEY, SMALL DUNES
Yixuan Pan | Feb 2022 | Issue 13
They have always been glittering, since my dad was a mathematician
Using me to subtract wisdom teeth, he got a ducky
He taught me to say, “ga ga ga” while here people say, “quack quack quack”
Whatever, language doesn’t matter
They are like eggs, as the platform of happening
There might be some news, might or might not
I’ve decided to adopt them
Illuminate them with my heat
Fostering them
Combing out their hair
Silently flaunting them in front of some big water, like a lake or ocean
Baby them, as well as making them older
Tick tock, tick tock
I’ll keep them a secret, until they become an enigma
And taste like birthdays
它們，小的土
在我的爸爸還是個數學家的時候，它們就是五光十色的
用我減去智齒，他得到了一只小鴨子
他教我說：“嘎。嘎。嘎。”；而在這裡人們都說：“夸克。夸克。夸克。”
無所謂啦，哪國語言不重要
作為發生的舞台, 它們就像蛋
可能會有些新聞，也可能什麼都沒有
我決定收養它們
用我的熱情來照耀它們
養育它們
給它們梳頭髮
在大片水域（湖泊或海洋）前無聲地炫耀
寶貝它們，也讓它們變老
天天天天
我會為它們保守秘密，直到變為一個迷
吃起來就是生日的味道
Yixuan Pan was born and raised in the land of fish and rice, Hunan, China. Growing up speaking Mandarin Chinese, then having traveled and moved frequently, Pan has decided to keep being confused about language. Her lack of knowledge has become the creative fuel that powers her curiosity and explorations. By dislocating language from its context and form, her work questions the linguistic structures people learn and unlearn. Pan employs various approaches—dumpling making, poetry composing, swimming pool exercising, lollipop casting, soap bubble blowing, music therapy operating, window cleaning, love letter whispering, anti-choir practice, and more—to imagine an alternative space for cultural hierarchy, the comfort of identity, power dynamics and transparency. She is the author of It—A Skillful Amateur's Records on Glass. Pan wants to be a cook when she grows up.