Stone lion, soft bite.
Interactive Sound Installation for Sitting and Lying Down in YU Garden, Shanghai
Wenwei&CHANGE
Stone lions have stood guard for years.
This one just opens its mouth in front of the ancient building, like a useless guard.
But passersby dare to touch it. Some even sit inside its mouth.
No one is afraid of it—because it might yawn at any moment, then deflate in embarrassment.
Not because it’s strange, but because it actively chooses not to be hard.
Stone is meant to stand for a thousand years; this one allows itself to leak air.
collapse, be folded into a piece of cloth.
Each inflation is a resurrection. Each deflation is a breath. Replacing awe with intimacy.
The sound comes from:
Wind at the Roman Colosseum of El Jem, Tunisia;
The chiseling from a mosaic workshop in Fes, Morocco;
The pour of water from a streetside tea house in old Fes.
Wenwei&Change 