Lee kit: House M

Sept-Nov, 2012

The Pavilion

House M

By Hu Fang

As I had a brief stopover, I came to House M.

Rather than reaching a certain destination, to wander or to travel is more about walking aimlessly, pondering the indescribable – like the wind tonight, and your smile in my memory.

I came to this gigantic and overcrowded city, but stayed in an immaterial room with a book, Commentaries On The Shurangama Sutra (妙心疏 ).
As I randomly flipped through it, some words stood out in my mind:
This consciousness that allows us to fully define the world,
Did it come from the act of seeing?
Or did it come from the appearance of things?
Or did it come from the emptiness?
Or did it appear, all of a sudden
And without a reason?

We exist in this city, retaining distance, never fully committed into its ways, but always accompanied with a certain sense of longing.

House M appears to encapsulate the emotions of wandering, it is a reaction to the subtle vibrations of feelings and air, it is a spatial existence that’s come about as a result of Lee Kit’s attempts to understand the relation between “the self and the world”.

“There are love songs to listen to here.”He stressed, a bit awkwardly. In my digital memory box, there are always one or two love songs that will somehow arouse the hidden feelings that accompany me on this journey, but I have almost forgotten them.

From here, I was invited to enter, not only the room in which Lee Kit had left his traces of creation, but a world infiltrated by “indescribable emotions”. The traces of emotions reside and continuously fill the space -amazingly transforming the noisy reality into a peaceful zone. As there was no unnecessary spectacle here, I came here not to add to, but to reduce the weight of my emotion, in order to face my own existence calmly.

Once you quiet down, you will be able to experience a time of “here and now”, a time that is as long as Time -long enough to witness the growth of plants, to hear one’s own heartbeat. One might not be willing to accept the inevitable loneliness this provokes, but it is the sparkles of such loneliness that make House M such a shareable, unique existence.

During sleepless nights, you might discover more secrets of the world: the lights from the room of the opposite building, the soft moaning of the electronics, the moonlight on the floor… You suddenly become aware of the snores of your loved one. I know that these are the invisible and weightless parts of life that are awakened by House M, but like a mother’s hand soothing the wrinkles of the soul, like a whisper, “let’s be forever young, don’t be sad.”

In the light of the morning sun, I held a water glass serenely, thinking that I was ready to face the unpredictable day, no matter what would happen.

Please sweep the floor if you feel like at home.
At night, spend some time looking out of the window. You will see what people are doing in their home, just like probably someone is watching you as well.

Feed yourself everyday.
There is no clock in this apartment. So make sure you have your computer, mobile phone or watch. But this is optional.

Bring a pen or pencil, and some papers or a notebook.
Bring your favorite slippers and book.
Don’t forget to lock the door at night, or during daytime.
You are on your own once you lock it.
Don’t get drunk.

— Lee Kit