Yi-Fei Chen

Department: Social Design
Website: chenyifeidesign.com

Tear Gun

Her upbringing in Taiwan has instilled Yi-Fei Chen with a deep
respect for authority. Disagreeing with your teachers is
considered rude, and rudeness must be suppressed. Coming
to the Netherlands for a master’s degree was a shock to her
system. Within Western higher education, students are taught
to question authority and expected to take a critical attitude.
For many students like Chen it can be a confusing and emotional
journey to adapt to such a new set of circumstances. The
pressure they feel to step outside their own comfort zone may
even cause drastic responses. Chen has visualised her personal
struggle to toughen up and speak her mind with a striking
metaphor: she has frozen the tears she shed during an incident
where she had to speak up but couldn’t, and built a gun to
fire them. Next time a teacher puts her on the spot, she will be
ready to respond with equal force.