Close-Up is a brand of red-colored, cinnamon-flavored gel-like toothpaste. I used an electric scale to measure the weight of the toothpaste before it was used. As I brushed my teeth every day, the weight decreased from 180 grams to 7 grams, when all of the toothpaste was used up. Throughout the process, I recorded the images of the toothpaste. Attached to the toothpaste were yellow post-its which served as labels to specify the state/weight of the toothpaste. Only the term “YOU” was used as the subjects in the sentences written on the post-its. I did not use the terms “I” or “HE” at all in what I wrote on the post-its.
In fact, two YOUs were represented on the yellow post-its. One was the toothpaste, which continued to dialogue with me; while the other was my inner self, the one that conducted a monologue. The toothpaste helped me see life and death from a distance. My inner self helped me express my true emotions, thoughts, and what I have learned. In fact, the toothpaste as “YOU” and the inner self as “YOU” both represented an alien “ME.” Only by having this kind of “self alienation,” can we see ourselves from the outside perspective and gaze death in the face to converse with it.
Close-Up是一款肉桂香味紅色凝膠狀牙膏。我用一個電子秤量出牙膏使用以前重量，隨著我每日的牙齒保健，從一開始的180公克，牙膏的重量逐漸減少，最後牙膏用盡，只剩外包裝7公克。整個過程除了上述牙膏逐漸耗盡的紀錄影像，還伴隨著與影像對應的黃色便利貼。這些便條紙上的主詞沒有「我」及「他」，只有「你」。
事實上，黃色便利貼上有兩個代名詞的「你」。一個是與我持續對話的牙膏；一個是自己對自己的詰問與回答。代表牙膏的「你」，使我能夠有距離的看待生命與死亡這件事；而代表自我的「你」，則誘使我說出內心真正的情緒、想法與領悟。事實上，牙膏的「你」與自我的「你」都是異己的「我」，因為只有自我的消失，才能讓精神做局外觀，讓凝視死亡的對話產生。
In fact, two YOUs were represented on the yellow post-its. One was the toothpaste, which continued to dialogue with me; while the other was my inner self, the one that conducted a monologue. The toothpaste helped me see life and death from a distance. My inner self helped me express my true emotions, thoughts, and what I have learned. In fact, the toothpaste as “YOU” and the inner self as “YOU” both represented an alien “ME.” Only by having this kind of “self alienation,” can we see ourselves from the outside perspective and gaze death in the face to converse with it.
Close-Up是一款肉桂香味紅色凝膠狀牙膏。我用一個電子秤量出牙膏使用以前重量，隨著我每日的牙齒保健，從一開始的180公克，牙膏的重量逐漸減少，最後牙膏用盡，只剩外包裝7公克。整個過程除了上述牙膏逐漸耗盡的紀錄影像，還伴隨著與影像對應的黃色便利貼。這些便條紙上的主詞沒有「我」及「他」，只有「你」。
事實上，黃色便利貼上有兩個代名詞的「你」。一個是與我持續對話的牙膏；一個是自己對自己的詰問與回答。代表牙膏的「你」，使我能夠有距離的看待生命與死亡這件事；而代表自我的「你」，則誘使我說出內心真正的情緒、想法與領悟。事實上，牙膏的「你」與自我的「你」都是異己的「我」，因為只有自我的消失，才能讓精神做局外觀，讓凝視死亡的對話產生。
