In my previous body of work titled “Air Series,” I pointed my cam-
era skyward to question my sense of belonging in the world. In
this new series of photographs, ”In The Dead Of Winter,” I
attempt to answer this question by bringing my camera indoors.
As a sort of meditation on my domestic surroundings, I position-
ed and photographed ordinary objects in an intimate way.
Through various arrangements, and the progressive closeness of
my camera lens to my subjects, I was able to see extraordinary
landscapes. A set of books on a shelf transforms into a forest of
trees, lacy black drapes blanket the land as night, or stacks of
dishes become the hills and valleys for two birds to explore. My
home became the place of hope and wonder.

The titles are metaphors that, when paired with the photo-
graphs, point beyond the walls of my flat, beyond the landscape
outside, to a place where my internal logic dwells. “Two Birds,”
the title of an image of a plate, questions my relationships with
others – whether they feel stagnant at times, or powerful
enough to move into a place of mystery. A picture of a spoon of
jam titled “In the Dead Of Winter” depicts an acquiescence to
violent feelings during a time so quiet.

In regards to the meaning of these isolated moments, the possi-
bilities are endless because my sense of belonging is found
through my imagination.

—Crystal Liu