I was confronted by
the frailty of human life when my dad, my appa,
was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer at age 48 and
was given 2 months to live.
The idea of
mortality
became more than just a concept;it was real and personal.
He slept the last two days of his life.
His mind was so disturbed
from physical pain that he was medicated to sleep
He was “unconscious”,
yet I sat by him and talked into his ears.
During this period, I questioned who or what I was talking to.
It was the first time I witnessed
the body
separate from the mind
as the body regained its pure materiality;
devoid of energy,
an empty shell.
He passed away a full year past the expectancy and during that time
I watched
his physical body
weaken,deteriorate, and
become
an obstacle.
The moment he passed,
I questioned my understanding of the trajectory of life
and was forced to reconsider
the human experience beyond the physical realm
as well as the physical body.
Is the physical body a living medium,
a mere vessel
for consciousness
to mediate our relationship and tie us to the physical world?
The figures hung from the ceiling are plaster casts of my own body.
I dip fabric in wet plaster and hold a physically straining position
until it’s cured and entombs me.
When I step away from the cast and am separated from it,
is the skin-shell still me,
or is it empty?
![Steven Jung]()
Rest In Peace, appa. A lil wink for you
Steven Jung (February 26, 1965 - March 25, 2016)
the frailty of human life when my dad, my appa,
was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer at age 48 and
was given 2 months to live.
The idea of
mortality
became more than just a concept;it was real and personal.
He slept the last two days of his life.
His mind was so disturbed
from physical pain that he was medicated to sleep
He was “unconscious”,
yet I sat by him and talked into his ears.
During this period, I questioned who or what I was talking to.
It was the first time I witnessed
the body
separate from the mind
as the body regained its pure materiality;
devoid of energy,
an empty shell.
He passed away a full year past the expectancy and during that time
I watched
his physical body
weaken,deteriorate, and
become
an obstacle.
The moment he passed,
I questioned my understanding of the trajectory of life
and was forced to reconsider
the human experience beyond the physical realm
as well as the physical body.
Is the physical body a living medium,
a mere vessel
for consciousness
to mediate our relationship and tie us to the physical world?
The figures hung from the ceiling are plaster casts of my own body.
I dip fabric in wet plaster and hold a physically straining position
until it’s cured and entombs me.
When I step away from the cast and am separated from it,
is the skin-shell still me,
or is it empty?
Rest In Peace, appa. A lil wink for you
Steven Jung (February 26, 1965 - March 25, 2016)