Interview #28

Book Corner: “Douleur Exquise” by Sophie Calle

Lio Yeung | Founder/Creative Director of Young & Innocent

Written and Images by Lio Yeung
Translation by Wendy Yiu

A book is like a friend. We understand the world and life, or even observe ourselves through texts, and have a deep realization of oneself that we are not alone. PMQ invites different people from design and culture sectors to recommend a book, so that you can enrich yourselves as book therapy.

Why would you recommend this book?

Lio: Hong Kong is now at a very difficult time. When having negative emotions, I think of this book - "Douleur Exquise" written by French artist Sophie Calle. It’s about her love lost evidence illustrated by both photo and text.

The pain of break-up has never been easy to understand, and often only the couple can understand. The sadness may be more harmful and difficult to withstand than physical pain. Some people can put it down in a few months, while others may spend a lifetime recovering.

"Douleur exquise” Author: Sophie Calle

The author left her beloved half, and told the break-up story for 36 times. On the left pages of the book, she recorded 36 sad states in dark to light colors, and on the right page, it’s a collection of the painful memories of others to drive away her pain. This is not only an artistic performance, but also a scheme of self-healing.

In today's environment, perhaps we can step back a bit from lives without hopes. When we are both lonely and disappointed, there are people who are feeling the same and they actually walk side by side with us holding on the same faith. Although we never met, people with the same experience are often connected - Alone but not lonely.

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