"To tear away or not to tear away" is a multiple-choice question that Ou posed to the audience of this work. It is intended to give the audience freedom and flexibility to participate. He said, "Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for us to go to a book fair and tear out a picture on this page just because we like it very much. But in this work, it is allowed for you to do so.” What he did not expect was that when faced with this question, some audience members came up with a third approach: "switching" the audience's position in the book. Ou showed his acceptance of this active decision and said, “Just because the clue I provided was that you can tear off the yellow parts of this book, it did not mean you can only do this." Instead of being annoyed, he found such unexpectedness interesting and even wondered how later visitors would react to seeing figures that had been swapped. Additionally, he inferred that the state of this work is closer to that of a “sculpture.” He noted, "The viewing angle of a sculpture will not be from only one angle. Although the angle I set may only be 45 degrees, the sculpture is circular. In comparison, if I were to tell the viewer that the only way to appreciate the work is to tear the yellow sticky notes away, which becomes a must, then this kind of viewing experience is closer to that of a painting. Because the optimal viewing angle is fixed by the artist.”

 

On the other hand, during the discussion with Wang, the focus was on the word "power." Wang commented that the setting of the artwork where people become the focus of viewing "expands the boundaries of the exhibit." He pointed out that when people go to art museums, they also become works of art. Because this is an art museum, the space exerts its functionality and makes what is inside art. He also argued that the “exhibition” here is not a noun but a verb, “it contains the dynamic relationship between people when they face it.” Wang believed that this artwork highlights how all people are being viewed in such circumstances.

 

Then, Wang described how the use of sticky notes emphasized the power of the viewer and how people watching the exhibition in the picture are powerful. He noted that this power has generated the "sense of loneliness" and "sense of fear." Wang explained, "What is the subject of viewing here? Once the subject can be taken away and replaced any time, the space seems to be the only element in eternity. This design suggests how people could disappear any time, and it indicates how people become less important regarding the relationship between the viewer and the art. However, at the same time, it also stresses the importance of the viewers. Consequently, I think that when doing this, there are two references, people are important and people are not important.”

 

Lastly, Wang mentioned how the audience of Pilgrims is endowed with activeness, as they are empowered to place the sticky notes at will, whether it is to take away or swap them on different pages. "The more one participates and the more active one is, the more one loses. Because one also acts as a viewer to the exhibitions," he commented, finding the sense of “loss of self” generated in Ou’s work to be a little bit "provocative."

 

To conclude, I found that what Ou cares about most is giving the audience the opportunity to create their own meaning. He values making participation flexible so that each viewer can interpret his works in their own personal way. This attitude is reflected in his declaration of “what I say should not be the statement”: “Why is it always me talking, but why can’t you, the audience, speak? I am thus very open to discrepancy in my own interpretation and the audience’s.” On the other hand, Wang, as an audience member, applied a method of analysis and association that he is used to, has pushed his interpretation into a state of “panic.” While this may not be what the creator intended to offer, it is the type of participation that Ou wants to encourage: a personal one.

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Furthermore, I remembered the beginning of the interview with Wang, he mentioned that the only time he visited a museum was when he took a script analysis class last month and the professor took them to the Taipei Fine Arts Museum for an exhibition. Wang reflected on his visiting experience: "My understanding of the display is fragmented, since the context is difficult for me to enter. However, even if I may not be able to enter that context, it sometimes resonates with the topics I am used to pondering. Then suddenly, dialogues are formed between me and the exhibits." This expression presents how Wang finds his way to link with Ou’s work - that is at the heart of the meaning of this project.