Ting Yu Lee

Ting-Yu Lee is a theatrical installation artist from Taiwan.

Before studying in the Royal College of Art, she worked as an escape room art designer, majoring in scenes making and props design.

Her own practices range from interactive installations through to wood carvings, stage models, drawings, and films. The concept of these works mainly focus on object narratives, humanity, and exploring different ways of storytelling.

There are many times when memories are not simply stored in the mind, but resides on some specific objects like invisible animals. They whisper intensely in the heavy shells, waiting to burst forth in that triggering moment.

I've been exploring narrative mechanics to involve my audiences into the structures and lead them to unravel stories by themselves, making people get a sense of living in the scenarios and result in meaningful interactions throughout the experiences.

My recent installation project, Where Lies The Big Belly Baby, seeks to highlight how socio-cultural contexts shape a girl's perception of her mother. The primary goal of this project is to spark a conversation about the issues surrounding the celebration of a mother’s selflessness.

In Taiwan, On the eve of Mother's Day, each city holds a "Role Model Mother Selection", which has a history of nearly 70 years and selects about 1,400 model mothers annually. However, the celebration often perpetuate stereotypes and portray women as self-sacrificing homemakers who prioritize child-rearing and household duties. Meanwhile, children are being told to repay their parents’ lifetime of sacrifices with obedience and care. These values have become social norms and deeply ingrained in families.

Through the lens of a little girl, this installation presents three small stories that offer a glimpse into how a beloved daughter views her mother and the complex mix of gratitude and fear that exists within the female bloodline. Participants can interact with the installation, which encourages reflection on the themes presented.

It is crucial to recognize that promoting the sacrificing maternal figure as a virtue can be harmful, and we must take steps to counteract this message. Where Lies The Big Belly Baby hopes to raise awareness and encourage a re-examination of our societal expectations around motherhood.

This short trailer invites you to take peak into the room where lies the big belly baby.

When she finally realized there are stitches and patches on her grown up body and had the ability to speak for herself, she was also old enough that her mother expect her to be considerate and move on. "If you understand my intuition was for your own good, then all those shouldn't be a matter to you."

Before she can remember anything else, she had her baby doll with her. Just like her twin, or to say, reflection, that's why she did want to fix it at first. Her baby doll mat have some issues, old damages perhaps, but there was no one there to help, and that was that. A lady doesn't need her baby doll anymore, so she dropped the doll and left it behind. That was the first time they separated from each other. Just like her inner child will forever lie in her past memories.

"...when she looks at her mother,...understanding her as a figure that she simultaneously resists and depends on; a figure that she uses, cruelly and lovingly and gratefully, as the base from which to become something more."- Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino