Jessica 현 Song

ꊞ Objects

ꊞ About

fortune calendar


ash, satin, satin buttons, fortunes, 2024
9.25” x 9.25” 3” each; 9.25” x 9.25” x 18.5” stacked











There is something so unserious and light about the fortunes from the fortune cookies. There are rarely any negative fortunes, and most of them are merely statements rather than predictions of the future. Although I am aware of this, I still cannot help but collect them, and can never get rid of them. And maybe the way I collect this unhelpful advice, or ‘fortunes,’ reflects my tendency to imbue meanings on things that I collect too easily...


Sometimes a fortune will say, “A surprise gift will bring you joy,” or “A lifetime of precious moments with loved ones is coming.” And I will daydream and wait for those moments to come for the rest of the day, or even for longer. Or even getting fortunes in the middle of October that say, “In August you will...” will make me think and I am pretty sure knowing myself, I will randomly remember these specific fortunes on a random day in August and just think about them. I get convinced too easily and I imbue meanings too easily. And it is hard for me to let go of things.This project branched out from my Degree Project, which explores the tension between the desire for permanence and the inevitability of changes and impermanence. These stackable boxes can hold up to 28 fortunes at a time. It is a calendar of fortunes, holding for approximately a month. The ritual begins with empty boxes, and each day I collect a fortune and place it in a box. After 28 days, all boxes will be filled. And on the 29th day, I discard all fortunes to make a place for new ones, marking a new beginning. And the cycle repeats. 


I realized while experiencing the ritual that although it forces me to discard the fortunes, it is not an immediate disposal of them, unlike the ritual that my Degree Project explores. Maybe it is because I still want to linger on the fortunes and the false hope that they give me for just a little bit longer... 𓇢