spiku raiku a neitibu (Speak Like A Native), 2024, textile collage with hand sitiching embroidery on fabric, 49x31cm
I had an idea for my textile collage with hand-stitched embroidery work titled spiku raiku a neitibu (Speak Like A Native), 2024, 49x31cm, from my life experience. When I speak English or German which are my second and third languages, I am misunderstood people what I say, because of my pronunciation. My accent does not sound like a native speaker. I practiced my tongue to pronounce these two languages correctly. I wanted to be a native speaker. But one day, somehow, I stopped disciplining my tongue. Instead, I imagined that my tongue would become seaweed. My seaweed-tongue separates a few as many serpents’ tongues aggregate. It moves freely, sings, and speaks any language, not just human language. I communicate with animals, plants, and stars. I depicted such an imaginary scene in spiku raiku a neitibu (Speak Like A Native). How does language metamorphose when I struggle to make myself understood in a life outside of my mother tongue? The title of the work; spiku raiku a neitibu is allocated alphabets the English saying “Speak Like A Native.” is allocated to the alphabet, phonetically, into my pronunciation.