Threshold

The work originated from the traditional Chinese superstition of thresholds. Since threshold and barrier are pronounced the same, people believe that life will go smoothly if they cross the threshold (barrier). The reason why I am interested in this kind of culture that restricts human behavior is that it creates a sense of mystery between environment, space, and behavior. For me, the actual function of the threshold is not a necessary part of the building structure, but a subjective demand for space, and power, inside and outside.
Through the reverse threshold, an entity that should protrude upward from the ground, I created a negative threshold that does not exist but still retains its function of forcing people to step in, allowing the audience’s reaction and behavior itself to become part of the work.


This video screenshot demonstrates how this work interacts with people. When people want to cross the negative threshold in the middle, they must lift their legs and step over, unconsciously completing the superstitious behavior of stepping the threshold in Chinese Fengshui culture.