Lost in Translation

Incense belongs to the domestic and private sphere. Unlike perfume, which projects outward and presents the self to others, incense turns inward. Its slowly unfolding smoke creates space for reflection, restoration, and an exploration of one’s inner world. This process resembles translation between languages. When meaning moves from one language into another, it can never be preserved completely. Certain information is lost, while new interpretations emerge through the experience of the receiver. For me, translation has also been a recurring difficulty throughout my education and experience of moving between cultures. I continually try to express myself accurately, yet discover that what language communicates is never identical to the original thought or feeling. Translation can therefore be understood as a form of sculpture. As an image passes through different materials, tools, and hands, it is reshaped and reinterpreted. The final form always differs slightly from its source. Through the burning of incense, the dispersal of smoke, and the transformation of meaning, we search for what was originally there while gradually becoming lost in the process—until the initial form can no longer be seen clearly.