Lotus Seed Pod

Lam set her treasures in a lotus seed pod. In China, the lotus flower in bloom is a recurring motif in historic and modern works of art in which lotus seed pods are also occasionally represented. A number of three-dimensional artifacts, including teaware water droppers and auspicious ruyi scepters, mimic the shape of pods. All of these artifacts visually and materially emphasize the dynamic relation between the large seeds and the capsule that contains them.

In Lam’s work the edible seeds have been removed from the pod and replaced by plastic items and sea glass. Given the many symbolic meanings of the lotus in Chinese culture, where its seeds are associated with fertility and the plant stands for purity, the dried lotus seed pod in Lam’s work can be interpreted in many ways.

In line with Buddhist ideas on eternal transformation and the old Chinese saying “Lotus rises untainted and beautiful from the dirtiest mud” (蓮花出污泥而不染), the ring shows that matter is in constant metamorphosis and that dirty trash can grow into something as beautiful and refined as a gemstone.