Traxon E:cue Lighting - University of Sydney Lighting Lab - Havin Kim, Ghazal Ghazizadeh, Zihan Jiang, and Mina Heydari
Every person experiences the world through their own language, culture, and perspective. Yet no single viewpoint can reveal the whole picture. Utilizing words of understanding and hope drawn from the artists’ diverse cultural backgrounds, the layered texts and colours within the installation reflect different ways of seeing and interpreting the world. Only by looking beyond our own perspective and embracing others can the hidden message, “Empathy is Unity,” be revealed.
At the heart of the installation is the idea of a “human current”— an invisible flow of energy, care, and connection that exists between people. Inspired by the simple act of reaching out a hand to another, the illuminated ribbon extends between two hands as a symbol of support, trust, and shared humanity: linking cultures, languages, and experiences. A nod to the traditional Chinese red ribbon, the illuminated tunnel transforms a functional pathway of light into a metaphor for human relationships: intertwined, dynamic, and dependent on one another.
Through light, language, and form, the installation invites visitors to reflect on how empathy unites and connects us within our diversity.
Interaction of Color & Light
The artwork operates through the interaction of colored light, transparency, and layered visual information. Red and blue layers contain different textual elements. By altering the color of illumination, specific layers become visually dominant while others recede, changing the viewer’s perception of the work. Red light will diminish the pink layer and highlight the Korean and English messages in blue, while blue light will do the opposite, bringing the focus to the Chinese and Persian messages.
Under every other color of light, all visual layers are perceived simultaneously, allowing the composition to merge into a single unified image. This convergence creates a typographic illusion in which the hidden phrase “Empathy is Unity” emerges from the combination of all languages and perspectives.
Under every other color of light, all visual layers are perceived simultaneously, allowing the composition to merge into a single unified image. This convergence creates a typographic illusion in which the hidden phrase “Empathy is Unity” emerges from the combination of all languages and perspectives.
how it came to life
Shared & translated Voices
The textual elements within the installation are composed of poems, phrases, and speeches selected from each artist’s birth country and cultural background. Although written in different languages and originating from different literary traditions, all texts reflect a shared theme of empathy, compassion, and human connection.
English
"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream."
Martin Luther King, Jr
Martin Luther King, Jr
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence
Korean
별을 노래하는 마음으로
모든 죽어가는 것을 사랑해야지
그리고 나한테 주어진 길을
걸어가야겠다.
오늘 밤에도 별이 바람에 스치운다.
윤동주
모든 죽어가는 것을 사랑해야지
그리고 나한테 주어진 길을
걸어가야겠다.
오늘 밤에도 별이 바람에 스치운다.
윤동주
Translation
"With my heart singing to the stars, I shall love all things that are dying.
And I must walk the road that has been given to me.
Tonight, again, the stars are brushed by the wind."
Yun Dong-ju, “Prologue”
And I must walk the road that has been given to me.
Tonight, again, the stars are brushed by the wind."
Yun Dong-ju, “Prologue”
Persian
بنی آدم اعضای یکدیگرند.
که در آفرینش ز یک گوهرند
چو عضوی به درد آورد روزگار
دگر عضوها را نماند قرار
تو کز محنت دیگران بیغمی
نشاید که نامت نهند آدمی
که در آفرینش ز یک گوهرند
چو عضوی به درد آورد روزگار
دگر عضوها را نماند قرار
تو کز محنت دیگران بیغمی
نشاید که نامت نهند آدمی
سعدی شیرازی
Translation
"Human beings are members of one another,
Created from the same essence.
When time brings pain to one part,
The other parts cannot remain at rest.
If you are indifferent to the suffering of others,
You do not deserve to be called human."
Saadi Shirazi, “Bani Adam,” Gulistan
Created from the same essence.
When time brings pain to one part,
The other parts cannot remain at rest.
If you are indifferent to the suffering of others,
You do not deserve to be called human."
Saadi Shirazi, “Bani Adam,” Gulistan
Chinese
上善若水，水利万物而不争。
老子
海内存知己，天涯若比邻。
王勃
Translation
"The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to compete with them."
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
"A true friend knows no distance; the whole world is but a neighborhood."
Wang Bo, "Farewell to Vice-Prefect Du Setting Out for His Official Post in Shu"
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
"A true friend knows no distance; the whole world is but a neighborhood."
Wang Bo, "Farewell to Vice-Prefect Du Setting Out for His Official Post in Shu"