Shiyue Wang
Vulnerable Cuts
Vulnerable Cuts is a book that presents the act of cutting flowers as a metaphor for objectification and dominance. It explores the imbalanced power dynamics between humans and nature, specifically through the act of cutting flowers for aesthetic purposes. Their natural bloom life is much longer than vase life.
When we crush a flower to preserve its beauty,
we paradoxically destroy it in the very act of trying to conserve it.
This contradiction is at once a celebration and a critique.
we paradoxically destroy it in the very act of trying to conserve it.
This contradiction is at once a celebration and a critique.
The publication features a French fold design and requires a physical cut where a flower would typically be placed in a vase. After cutting through the folded pages, the reader uncovers hidden texts inside the pages that liken flowers to the societal roles imposed on women.
For instance, the carnation, a symbol of Mother’s Day, when ‘cut’ in the book, reveals an underlying narrative about societal expectations of women in motherhood. The carnations’ association with maternal love and gratitude is contrasted with the societal lens that often reduces women’s identities to their nurturing capabilities as mothers and caregivers.