Society is made of different sectors, both individual and group, and our relationship with others only exists when there is a shifting of relation between sectors. Which means, interaction between sectors made relationship possible, and interaction involves sharing and hiding information about ourselves or others. Simmel describes the action of keeping a secret as ‘the ultimate form for the regulation and distribution of information’. (Simmel, 1950)

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I have always been interested in the theme of the hole in the tree, because it comes from a Yugoslavian fairy tale "The King donkey ears", which is one of the most memorable stories I heard as a child. (https://youtu.be/Q9m1hFgDj-0)

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So I started the Tree Hole project in 2020 and have continued it ever since.I have been experimenting with mixed media installations, painting, photography, sound installations and video to illustrate it and will continue to do so.

 

We all have secrets that we don't want others to know about, but the mental cost of constantly withhold too much inside is significant, so the "tree hole"  or any other means of release is necessary.

 

With the leap from paper to online media, ‘online tree hole’ have become a convenient option for people to talk about their secrets that can’t be told to anyone in their real life, such as forum and online chat room.

 

Everyone has secrets, and secrets are powerful; it can be hugely destructive but also constructive sometimes.(Smart,2011)

 

So whether it is a tree hole, a partner, a friend, a psychotherapist, or a stranger, it is a way out, and people need an outlet.

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A 19-year-old Internet user who learned about the "tree hole" microblog, and ever since hee often share his secrets when it’s too much for him to hold in anymore.

"It's a lot easier to talk about it online. I want some people to know the other side of my life, but I don't want to pay for it." He said.

 

I have a strong desire to talk when I am under pressure as well. Because there are things I can't tell to my parents, it will sound too much like complaining and perhaps drag their mood down as well.

 

I can't tell my friends because most of them are the same age or even younger than me, and from what i know they can barely comprehend the suffer and struggle behind the things i say. Besides, I don’t want to appear fragile.

 

Although disclosing privacy or other private information such as secrets can increase relationship satisfaction and feelings of intimacy, but studies also suggest that people tends to withhold their own secrets from their close friends, family members or colleges to maintain social identity and avoid social stigma depends on the nature of their secrets. People are also afraid of disapproving from their valued ones if they share something sensitive in nature. Therefore a more burden-free way of release one’s compressed feelings is to share a secret to a complete strangers without worry it might backfire to one’s real life. (Kelly, A. E., & McKillop, K. J. 1996)

 

I think that's why ‘Snapchat’ is so popular: ‘READ and BURN’, and the psychological mechanism behind it.(A PowerPoint by Nir Eyal, 'The Secret Psychology of Snapchat', published in 2015)

(Links for my research in Unit 2 on the psychological mechanisms behind the act of confiding in a stranger about secrets

: https://njy20212020.wixsite.com/unit3/about-3)

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I learned from my research that one of the most important therapeutic tools that anyone can use when communicating with a patient is to let him "talk". At the same time, like the king's barber, whether the matter can be resolved or not, it’s always a good thing to let the words out.

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In the third unit, I have tried to engage with more people, and I have accumulated a lot of material and research information from my conversations and interviews with them, so that I can present the themes I want to show in my work.

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‘Private – a word from the past, or so it would seem these days. A word of hardly any relevance in an era when everything – from one’s favourite recipe to one’s current relationship status – is posted on Facebook. Exhibitionism, self-revelation, the urge to tell stories, the pleasure of presenting and voyeurism are the social strategies of our day and age. ’ Sophie Call also describes her views on privacy in her work 'Mother'.（Sophie Calle, 1953)

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For these two pieces, I tried to present the relationship between public and private, personal and social from my point of view, and after a lot of experimentation - through painting, photography and integrated installation - I finally found a form that fits with these two works - sound installation and video.

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As a result, I considered these as the most interactive and suitable evidence to engage with the audience.

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Whether we tell our secrets to someone we know or a complete stranger, it all suggest that as human beings, we have the needs and impulse to release our mind. The mental cost of keeping a secret, especially when it’s often sensitive and negative in nature would have a huge impact on our overall health. Therefore, the original intention of creating the ‘tree hole’ project is to provide a stress-free environment, let the sharer know that they are in an absolutely safe environment to share what’s bugging them inside, in hope to ease their mental stress and help them to better reflect themselves, and ultimately to inspire the listeners.

 

 

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Simmel, G. (1950) ‘Secrecy’ (Chapter 3, pp. 330-343) in The Sociology of Georg Simmel, (translated and edited by K. H. Wolff), Illinois: The Free Press. 

 

Smart, Carol. “Families, Secrets and Memories.” Sociology, vol. 45, no. 4, 2011, pp. 539–553., www.jstor.org/stable/42857553.