The Name

名與字

Interactive Design • Video Art

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"Hi, my Chinese name is TzuHsuan Chen, but you can call me Nancy."

In Taiwan, it's common for parents to consult a fortune teller when choosing a name for their child. The characters in our Chinese names often carry the family's hopes and dreams for our success. But when we adopt an unrelated English name, are we distancing ourselves from our cultural identity, or are we evolving beyond it, seeking to redefine who we are?

This project explores that question in two parts. One invites visitors to write down both their Chinese and English names, revealing how many people in Taiwan choose English names with no connection to their original identity. The second part presents three short videos that depict common real-life scenarios where English names are used in Taiwan.

「嗨，我的中文名字是陳子璇，但你可以叫我 Nancy。」

在台灣，父母為孩子取名字時常會請命理師給自己孩子算出最有福氣的名字。中文名字裡的名，往往承載著家庭對孩子的期望與祝福。然而，為了能夠融入西方浪潮中，每個人都為自己取了一個英文名字。當我們取了一個與原名無關的英文名字時，我們是在遠離自己的文化認同，還是正在超越它，試圖重新定義自我？

本計畫透過兩個部分探討這個問題。第一部分邀請觀眾寫下自己的中文與英文名字，揭示許多台灣人在選擇英文名時，總與本名毫無關聯的奇特現象。第二部分則透過三部短片，呈現英文名字在台灣日常生活中常見的使用情境。