回 (huí) is a multimedia installation that delves into conditioning. Beginning with behavioral conditioning and extending to the consideration of societal norms, the work unfolds in a paradoxical loop where unlearning transforms into a form of learning, deconditioning becomes a nuanced conditioning, and deconditioned behavior forges a new social norm. The conditioned outer reality, the enigmatic in-between, and an inner chamber are three enclosed membranes that form the character “回,” a traced path that leads back to where one never truly departed. Outside of the boundary of the installation is the familiar everyday reality. Upon entering the in-between chamber, visitors are invited to sign a contract with their thumbprints—an actualization of the assumed social contract embedded since arrival. Fragmented words float suspended in a thin paste of shaving gel and glue, actively dissolving on their way to becoming residues. Viewers are conditioned through the set of processes, language, and meaning reinforced by me. The inner chamber, veiled by sheer curtains, embodies a void. This installation experience culminates as visitors exit the inner chamber, traverse the in-between space, and re-emerge into the external reality. This path draws out the shape of “回,” returning to the outer reality never actually left. However, going through sets of conditions inside the installation allows viewers to see their conditions. If every moment we are a different self, when viewers return to the same outer reality, they are no longer the same self anymore. The installation embodies my paradox of seeking deconditioning; the core of this endeavor lies in the struggle itself. This is because achieving deconditioning—should it even be possible—immediately establishes a new condition. Therefore, I ponder in this work that the process of struggling is, in essence, deconditioning itself.