The Night Reading series began in November 2024, about two months after Holly’s passing. Following her departure, I started organizing the things she left behind. In addition to her photographic and textual works, there were also a large number of personal diaries, creative notes, and travel journals. Naturally, these included many of the letters we had exchanged as well.

I usually go through these materials at night, after dinner or before bed. Night Reading could be described as reflections on these remnants—fragments of memory, a kind of conversation, sometimes even a whisper, between us. This dialogue will continue over a long period of time and serves as a way for me to hold her in remembrance. While its form will remain consistent, the imagery will diverge, branching out into different directions as the years pass.

For the first entry of Night Reading, I chose her diary entry from Friday, August 23—the last one she wrote, 20 days before her passing:

"Book delivered today. Ka-sing made a portrait."

The “book” refers to Sushi Grass in Paradise, a set of sixteen books shipped from Taiwan by Ching Ping. The “portrait” is the photograph I took of all the books arranged on the table in our sitting area.

Holly and I shared fifty years together; we understood each other as if seeing clearly into a mirror. Looking at these diaries transports me instantly back to moments long past, even revealing depths I hadn’t noticed at the time. And so, I find myself adrift, overwhelmed by a profound sense of loss.

 

「夜讀記」系列開始於2024年11月間，楚喬離去後大約兩個月的光景。楚喬離去後，我開始整理她留下的東西，除了攝影及文本作品外，她也留下了大量私人日記，創作筆記，也有些旅行日誌。當然，也包括了我們兩人之間的不少通信。我翻閱這些原始材料，通常都在晚間，飯後，或睡前進行。「夜讀記」也可說是關於這些遺留下來的東西，記憶點滴，我們之間的一種傾談，甚至私語。這個對談，將會長時間地進行，也是我對楚喬的一個惦念。這個對談會保持著一個固定形式，然而，影像的採向將會是紛雜，隨著歲月走進不同的方向。「夜讀記」的第一枚，我採選了她寫在8月23日(星期五)的日記，這是她最後的一篇日記，寫於離去前20天：「Book delivered today. Ka-sing made a portrait」 (意譯是書冊今天收到，家昇拍了一個肖像。)其中書冊所指，乃是清平在台灣製作，印刷完成品的「壽司草邊的天堂」共16冊。肖像也就是我把衆書本放在一起，所拍攝的照片。我與楚喬，相處五十年，大家與對方也算是清晰可見。看著這些日記本子，它又一下子把你安放回到已經逝去的光景，甚至，你看到你當時也沒有看到的深處。你就茫茫然，更加覺得若有所失。