Step inside… Welcome to the Cave of the Day. We present you with details of the works to complement the ‘daytime’ experience. It reflects on how our bodies are affected and being affected through each encounter and act of kin-making.
photo by Hao Zeng
Polyester, nylon, silk, metallic
In Floating Landscape, Bonan Li wishes to explore the ambiguous poetics inherent to the world through the clothing and cloth-making. For Bonan, the clothing is a mediator between nature and the human body. It manifests the natural formation of all things as they are experienced, revealing the primal connection between humans and nature on a sensory level. The meandering, loose structure of the piece invites audiences to open the cracks, gaps, and the infinite possibilities of unfolding the inner worlds while awakening the latent experiences rooted in the consciousness of others.
PE, tubes, synthetic dyes, motors, electronics, PLA, hand capture device
video by Gumi Lu
Aluminum, stainless steel, resin, light beads, light strips, motors, electronics, basil
In the imagined era of ecological renewal, the way plants grow is being completely redefined. Through lighting control, Gumi’s installation creates new biological rhythms to demonstrate how technology can be harnessed to intervene with nature in a positive way. Here, technology is not only a tool for managing the environment but also plays an active role in addressing climate change and resource scarcity, ensuring the sustainability of future ecosystems. As an extension and enabler of natural evolution, it drives the transformation and enhancement of ecosystems. Plants that adapt to the new conditions exhibit unprecedented vitality, laying the groundwork for future biodiversity. The interaction between technology and plants thus has given rise to an entirely new dynamic of life, where both work together and strengthen one another. This way, plants not only benefit from the technology but actively contribute to reshaping the ecological network, becoming an integral part of this evolving symbiosis.
photo by Gumi Lu
Stainless steel, electronic components, copper, nylon, aluminum, motors
In this work, the spearhead’s pushing force and the copper pillar’s resistance work together to reveal the interactive nature behind what seems like a one-sided force. The copper pillar, though seemingly silent and still, gradually reveals scratches. It is this barely perceptible resistance that gives shape and meaning to these marks. The interaction between the viewer’s body and the metal installation generates tensions, showcasing the force and connections between human and machinic aesthetics. It calls on us to pay attention to the forces that are often overlooked and be more aware of our responsibility in our interactions with the material world.
photo by Gumi Lu
Digital painting printed on canvas
Both of these images depict the same subject—a baby. Gumi used two different image processing methods: one she is very familiar with, where she repeats and expands on familiar choices, and the other, an unfamiliar method, where she intentionally made opposite choices at each step. The familiar method represents how we typically think, while the unfamiliar one explores an alternative way of seeing. Through these two images, Gumi aimed to demonstrate how different ways of thinking can shape our perception of the same subject, in this case, the baby.
Digital painting / Polylactic Acid, Polymethyl Methacrylate
This work explores the plight of temporary workers struggling and moving forward within narrow social spaces. Lives intertwine amidst the narrow and turbulent environment, pulled by unseen forces. Each figure searches for their own path, trying to maintain a sense of self in an unstable setting. Their relationships are both fragile and tightly bound. The flowing water continuously strikes the narrow passageways, a reminder to those walking within that their steps cannot afford to stop.
Resin
This sculpture reinterprets the traditional Asian talisman “Fulu” into an architectural form. By reordering and layering three basic units, Gumi has created a spatial array designed to evoke protection. Traditionally inscribed on paper, Fulu holds symbolic meaning as a guardian. This concept is transformed an architectural form, drawing a parallel between the protective nature of architecture and that of the talisman, offering both physical and symbolic shelter.
photo by Gumi Lu
Motion capture animation, projector
“And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them? And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow? No question, he replied.” (The Republic, Book VII)
It's about what might exist beyond what we can easily see. That's the alien who has found our place and be quietly trying to invite us over to their world. The question is: are you trapped in the world you’ve built for yourself? Can you ever really escape?
video by Gumi Lu