August, 2024. In response to sooim lee and Xinyi Liu
Jean Chung is an artist and writer currently based in NYC, often depicting a moment at the edge of fantasy.
Website jeanchung.studio
Instagram @jeaano_
Thank you for sharing your dialogues with us. It is always a delight to read them.
In my reading I am reminded of the feeling of being in trance amid order, the way writing everyday in a diary can often feel like the most chaotic feeling.
I feel it especially during the summertime where the days and nights and mornings and evenings all seem to morph into one arc. It’s like hearing a long siren drop into silence before you even notice it. And then the day is over.
Sometimes I wish I would recognize more the different tones in that long siren.
(Or maybe that’d be too overwhelming?)
Last night I was up until dawn rearranging my home.
Then a fly woke me up and I thought it was my cat. Usually it is my cat this hour in the day (6AM). I felt less annoyed, but almost apologetic that I assumed it was her. I fed her and she ate. The fly sat on the wall.
Then I took the dog out for his walk. Being sleepless and out in the world before rush-hour is a bit like being in a trance. Especially with a dog pulling you everywhere.
But today the air is colder and I welcome it with an overwhelming feeling passing through me.
(Today I walked up to 118th and back)
I wonder if this sinking rush is a bit like recognizing the tone shifting.
Thank you for writing and giving me a moment to write back.
With all the love,
Jean