Brian Zixuan, MA

Artist Statement

My project includes two annual sundials made from wood with a lacquer finish, as well as a scroll painting of a London sun-measure diagram. What led me to explore planetary movement is the thought that many early civilisations began by observing the sky. It was one of the very first ways humans made sense of the world.

I am interested in the idea of a world before systems and structures of knowledge existed. In such a situation people relied upon what they could see and experience and their own inner response. By doing this I can experience a small sense of how early humans might have felt when exploring, as well as working with the fundamental knowledge that later philosophies are based upon.

Yin-Yang philosophy plays a central role in Chinese culture. For me to understand this classical philosophy more thoroughly it is necessary to examine Yin-Yang in an astronomical sense. In ancient times, the sun was the most obvious thing that determined our daily life and its impact is wide and profound. So studying the sun seemed to me the most solid and grounded knowledge to begin exploring – a natural and reasonable thing to do. Yin-Yang is a vast umbrella term but its qualities can be approximated to lunar (Yin) qualities and solar (Yang) qualities; these qualities appear to a greater or lesser degree in everything in the created world.