Yak Dung I / Lungta
handmade ink, handmade yak dung paper
Single-channel video, 2 min 43 sec



Scattering Lungta from mountaintops is a Tibetan prayer practice in which small printed paper flags are carried by the wind across the landscape. Traditionally made from natural materials, Lungta expressed reverence for the land. In recent years, however, the shift to chemically treated paper has caused severe pollution, leading to restrictions and bans on the practice in many regions.

This project reworks Lungta from within its material logic. I collected excess dried yak dung— often sold cheaply as fertilizer—from herders to produce biodegradable paper, and recycled charcoal residue from my Smoke I project into printing ink. The finished Lungta are scattered back onto the land, forming a material cycle in which ritual, production, and landscape remain continuous.

The technique was further disseminated through local monasteries, where monks could produce the paper themselves and explore the reuse of charcoal from daily burned offerings as printing ink. In collaboration with local brands, the paper was fabricated and distributed beyond gallery contexts, allowing the work to circulate through religious practice, local markets, and everyday use. The project was also exhibited in other cities, extending this material inquiry beyond its local context and inviting broader audiences to reconsider assumptions about waste, cleanliness, and material value.









Yak Dung I / Lungta     single-channel video, 2 min 43 sec