Once Gone, the Stream Never Returns

The piece takes its inspiration from a poem by one of Korea’s most recognized poets, Hwang Jin-i (ca. 1506–ca.1560). Like so many of her poems, this one creates a beautiful (if not heartbreaking) analogy between humanity and nature:

Mountains are the same as ever,
But the rivers are not.
Can a stream be the same?
Men of worth, like water,
Once gone, never return.

(trans. Sung-Il Lee)

Once Gone, the Stream Never Returns was commissioned by Ebb & Flow Arts, Inc.