The flip-side of life for a left-handed artist
The Arts Ambassadors-in-School Scheme is organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. It encourages students to take their passion for the arts beyond school and into the wider community. The ambassadors will take part in a series of arts programmes during the school holidays.
This week's artist is Colettie Lee, a Form Four student at Diocesan Girls' School, who talks about symmetry in drawing.
Being left-handed, I have always imagined myself as being born in a mirror. To me, the real world is laterally inverted, and is as inconvenient as it can be for me.
Delicate patterns are always printed on the right side of a mug, thus I'm unable to admire them as I drink. Scissors are always made for right-handed users, so I'm never able to cut out nice shapes.
Having to write from left to right, my palm has to wriggle laboriously across the paper, which leaves ink smudges on the work and on the side of my hand.
This world is unfair to left-handers: I have felt this strongly since I was in kindergarten. Thus this project became an inspiration to me.
Using wax crayons and unskillful hands, I drew a world in a mirror: every object was laterally inverted, yet it looked more natural and acceptable to me.
This was a world where I wouldn't embarrass myself by clashing with others' cutlery at the dinning table; I wouldn't get scolded for bumping into classmates' elbows. It would be an ideal world for me - almost utopia.
Four to five years after producing that art piece, I had another inspiration. The 'right-handed world' seems to have clashed with 'left-handed society' since ancient times. They seem to go against each other and are forever paradoxical.
Folding a piece of paper in half and using the line as the axis of symmetry, I drew two worlds reflecting each other. Every detail on the right side is reflected across the line on the left side. There's a peace sign in the middle.
Through these two pieces of artwork, I wish to bring society's attention to the minorities: not only left-handers, but also others like the sick and the disabled. I wish them peace, with no discrimination or neglect. I truly hope this message can be promoted in society.
