| Between
Nothing A space not for words |
I left the inaugural launch of the Hopea sangal sculptures at the Singapore Zoo that day, reeling in an unfanthomable thought, and for the next few days, I was caught in a doldrum where proverbially, in the eye of the storm, it began with nothing. Or was it really 'nothing'? And the hole a void and nothing more? |
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Was it by
chance that sculptor Collin Sai Hua Kuan
named his work 'Look'? And by the slimmest of coincidence that he
picked that particular segment of the felled trunk within which
a natural cavity was hidden, only to reveal and weave itself into
his creativity and inspired him to called it the 'eye'? |
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But
where do I begin to tell you what I saw? It has been a struggle
to put them into words. How do I put to you something about 'nothing'
that is 'pure', 'vibrant' and 'liberating' without bearing on the
abstracts? To be clear yet without being long-winded? The laconic
words of Lao Tsu seemed to ring ever more true in their unpretentiousness,
when he said:
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Thirty
spokes share the wheel's hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful. Cut doors and windows for a room; It is the holes which make it useful, Therefore profit comes from what is there; Usefulness from what is not there. |
| But alas, we wished 'nothing' could come closer to being comprehensible! I would not lead you to believe so. By his own admission, Lao Tsu said, 'The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.' These were his very first words that framed the rest of his teaching in Tao Te Ching. He had never laid claim to defining truths. What he offered were then, and even |
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now, rare glimpses into the fullness of life that is for us to experience
and appreciate - not taught and learnt. So where does it leaves us
then? Thinking back, had we not been lead to 'experience' something
unique together with the Hopea sangal tree that defies words? In brevity and scope, Lao Tsu's humility and teaching could show us the way. They were as emphatic as the fleeting beauty of an evening's sunset for he never taught |
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that which did not manifest itself in Nature. There is something in
that undefinable void in Nature and Life that is waiting for us to
fill up and respond to. But have we? The answer is an emphatic 'yes'. We responded, not with words, but with tears and sweat that were as eloquent as the satin skies and as soulful as the windsongs that blow through this hole. Our hearts resonated with it, and the tree and the people she embraced became one. It was a sublime spontaneity that was pure, vibrant and liberating, and it was brimming and bursting with life. The small band of unrelated and unassuming people - naturalists, artists, teachers, children, scientists, homemakers, forum writers, etc - made all the difference. It was so... so beautiful ! Yes, that was what I saw within that hole. Between 'nothing' a mystery had manifested itself. It could be understood but never grasped. It is as if a whole ocean could be emptied into it but never filled. In this, Lao Tsu's cryptic words again offer a light at the end of the tunnel: |
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'The
Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled.
Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things!' |
But
what of ten thousand things? What possibilities?
I cannot begin to describe but to invite you to take a deep 'look'
again at Tan Beng Chiak's poignant photo-essay
of trees. They speak volumes...
and much much more.
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Epilogue
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It
had sinced been a long journey for the many caring souls who had faithfully
accompanied the tree all the way from it being discovered and celebrated,
felled and lamented, reborn
through art, and adopted finally into its newfound home at the
Singapore Zoological Gardens. I dedicate
this essay in their honour and endear them to our memory for their
steadfast love, dedication and efforts.
May the rustling of leaves remind you of the Hopea sangal tree, and
may you be nourished with a great understanding and love for Nature
that will never be contained nor ceased but remain infinitesimally
free and growing. Herewith, with this dedication,
I end where I had begun.
Thank you Hopea sangal,... thank you one and all from the bottom of
my heart. I beg your pardon for not being able to name everyone. Cheers.
Related
essays... Tree
of Time | Ode to Hopea sangal | Tree
Art and Conservation |
See planting of a treelet by Minister
Mentor Lee Kuan Yew during Clean & Green Week 2004, and by
NMP Dr Geh Min on Earth Day 2005.