What matters the most?
There’s a shelf in my library labeled “AI & Technology,” and another labeled “Nature & Environment.” For this exhibition, I’ve chosen to blend the two — because in my mind, they share the same origin: the search for a way forward in life.
The book "Demain: Un Nouveau Monde en Marche" was my first spark on this path. In it, a first-time father and documentary filmmaker begins to explore environmental concerns after the birth of his child. He and his friends embark on a journey around the world, searching for future solutions across food, energy, economy, democracy, and education. Their answer was clear: diversity.
It’s been seven years since I read that book, and after much more reading and reflection, I still haven’t found a better answer. So now, whenever I consider any form of progress, I ask myself: "Does this help preserve or expand our social, cultural, or ecological diversity?"
This book exhibition is an invitation to think about our collective future.
How should we use powerful tools like AI? Are we merely passive pieces on a chessboard, or can we reclaim our agency? We all know “organic” is good — but what happens when fertile soil gives way to endless concrete? If we’re promised greater economic growth, what are we willing to sacrifice in return? What truly matters most?
“Imagine a pond with a water lily. On the first day, it has one leaf. Each day, the number of leaves doubles. If the pond is completely covered by the 30th day, when is it half-covered?” (Answer: the 29th day.) Some crises arrive silently — and by the time we notice, it’s already too late.
Earth has given us a beautiful home. As humans, we have the rare gift of living beyond survival — to express ourselves, to create, to live many versions of life. That, too, is worth protecting. What is life, and what sustains it? I believe that understanding this should be a priority for everyone. To pause. To reflect. To find your own answers. That’s why a reader exists — to hold space for that moment of solitude, and for those who seek.
Thich Nhat Hanh once said: When you walk, remember that beneath your feet is the Earth. To read a book is also to see the clouds, the rain, and the trees within its pages. The one is the whole. To me, that is the most beautiful way to experience life.
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— Hui-Chen Li, Curator of a reader
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Time: "a reader Furure Bookstore": Nov 1 - end of Dec, 2024
Address: No. 2, Lane 16, Section 1, Wuchang Street, Taipei (Aplace WCH)
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