The Fish and The Light

Our lyrical picture book tells an epic story about a little fish born with a light inside who loses it to a mysterious shadow; many years later, she must travel farther than ever before – not to reclaim what was lost, but discover what she can be.  A modern retelling of a Chinese and Japanese folktale (‘Koi no Takinobori’ or ‘Carp climbing a waterfall’), a koi fish must persevere against harrowing odds to eventually transform into a mighty dragon.  “The Fish and the Light” is a poetic allegory of a life journey that is both harrowing and luminous, told through the brilliance and shadows of one small fish.  

Collaborative project with one of my dearest friends, poet and writer Mylo Lam. The creation of this work spanned a number of years, starting from early conversations while visiting London in 2018. The bulk of my work has been largely inspired by the Japanese myth, Koi no takinobori (鯉の滝登り), particularly the symbol of the Koi fish as a warrior/spirit to keep going in the face of adversity. Mylo’s writing thoughtfully weaves words to create richly layered imagery, emotion, and historical context. I found that many themes he touches upon felt akin to what I’ve been exploring within my own work especially life and death and strength of spirit. It was a profound process to create our own modern interpretation of this already known and popular tale, much more so over the course of the COVID-19 outbreak and across oceans (Mylo being in the U.S. and I was primarily in Indonesia at that time).

It was not only a new learning experience working with written text, but also digital technology (iPad and Procreate). I had been averse to using it before, but it opened up realms of possibilities in expression and forced me to expand my capabilities outside of tactile mediums. I found the interplay between all these aspects to be a nice cycle of inspiration, with one feeding the other.

Production

The physical body of the book was just as important as story (body and soul essentially) as well the as the process that went into putting it together. Utilizing traditional and modern techniques – with an emphasis on being largely natural, hand-made, and communal – traversing East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the U.S.

\he foundation of our story is rooted in ancient Chinese folklore, which then traveled to Japan, it seemed fitting for the form itself to pay homage to this history.  Scrolls originated in ancient China as a portable medium for various documents and artwork.  The ‘Unryu’ or ‘Cloud Dragon’ paper made from mulberry bark fibers that seem to float on the paper (hence the name) were sourced directly from Japan.  Each page has been carefully torn, printed, and hand bound using techniques found throughout Asia.  The printing itself was done by a small specialized team in Bali and the teak wood casing – teak being especially renowned in Indonesia – was done in Java.  This book is a testament to how the creative process can go beyond a single person, place, and time.  Like our protagonist, it has undergone a journey and transformation until it has reached the finalized form you see. 

Latest Iteration