how to roll off your mother tongue
As a child of Vietnamese boat people who had escaped from a war torn country—with little to nothing, they were able to carry over the most valuable memories and lessons, revolving around food and language. This poetry installation, how to roll off your mother tongue, encapsulates the imperfections of sharing thoughts and feelings through bilingualism. In the process of learning and transcribing language, there are many times where words become too difficult to pronounce, as the tongue has already been molded to utter certain nuanced sounds.
By using edible Vietnamese rice papers to transfer English-Vietnamese poetry, Lenora explores linguistic relationships and how they become distorted, especially over time with assimilation and Westernization. The malleability of the papers at the beginning of this process references the ease of sharing. Although, the words that were shared become much harder to understand once they stick together, shrink or dry into new forms.
how to roll off the mother tongue
immerse in cold water
absorb the moisture and soften
lay flat on a surface
fill with comfort and wrap tightly
repeat steps 1-4 to avoid unravelling
save for moments of homesickness
cách
làm
gỏi
cuốn
how to
make
a salad
roll
gói
một
cuộn
xà lách
wrap
a roll
of
lettuce
học
cách
gọi
bằng
learn
how to
call it
Vietnamese spring rolls
Vietnamese fresh rolls
Vietnamese summer rolls
to make your identity
more easily consumed &
digestible
Vietnamese spring rolls
Vietnamese fresh rolls
Vietnamese summer rolls
to make your identity
more easily consumed &
digestible
Vietnamese spring rolls
Vietnamese fresh rolls
Vietnamese summer rolls
to make your identity
more easily consumed &
digestible
Vietnamese spring rolls
Vietnamese fresh rolls
Vietnamese summer rolls
to make your identity
more easily consumed &
digestible
Thank you to Christie Shen for wonderfully curating this piece for the exhibition, To Say To You (2020) at the Art$Pay Incubator.
