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The Mountain Algorithms

山演算

2024.08.17-11.24

高雄市立美術館 104, 105展覽室 Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Gallery 104, 105

 

策展人 Curator

呂岱如  Esther Lu

卡羅琳娜.蓋斯洛赫凱拉 Carolina Castro Jorquera

 

藝術家 Artists

法蘭達.巴瑞托  Fernanda Barreto

塔尼亞.坎迪亞尼 Tania Candiani 

派翠西亞.多明格斯 Patricia Domínguez

黃鼎云  Huang Ding Yun

余欣蘭  Rngrang Hungul

康雅筑  Ya-Chu Kang 

吳松吉  Chitti Kasemkitvatana

妮可.勒希里耶 Nicole L’Huillier 

lololol 

羅智信 Luo Jr-Shin 

大米釀造姐妹俱樂部  Rice Brewing Sisters Club

奧斯卡.桑蒂安 Oscar Santillán 

徐世琪 Angela Su

蘇郁心 Su Yu Hsin 

陳業亮 Henry Tan

康絲坦薩.阿朗孔特南  Constanza Alarcón Tenen

王永安 Wang Yung-An

黃漢沖 Jason Wee

吳其育 Wu Chi-Yu

 

聯合主辦 Organizer

高雄市立美術館 Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts

緩步動物 Moss Piglets

 

指導單位 Official Support

高雄市文化局 Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government

 

贊助單位 Sponsors

國家文化藝術基金會 National Culture and Arts Foundation

信源企業股份有限公司 RSI

雄獅鉛筆廠股份有限公司 Simba Lion

Foundation Jumex

谷公館 Michael Ku Gallery

Gallery VER

豐溢 Global Green Material

無醛屋 Green Key

中英文策展論述 Curatorial Essays

cover-image

# 0  

Exhibition key visual by onion design

2024.8.17 2PM 開幕

2024.8.18 2-5:30PM 藝術家座談,主持人李彥儀、呂岱如

 

 

《山演算》試圖把時間與地理的物理維度展開,將自然宇宙的智慧與人工智慧並置探索,呈現幾種理解未來生態思考與實踐的羅盤,並尋思「生態藝術」的嶄新意義:落實在我們如何運作與擴延我們的身體感官覺知、怎麼在自然技術與人造技術之間創造有機過程與合作運用、更加重視精神性與文化性的生態思維、學習不同的節律與代謝方案、如何創造生態社群、循環與關係。

 

而藝術在其中,怎樣思考這其中高度複雜的、不穩定的、看似正在崩解的各種網絡關係狀態,用不同的政治性讓讓生態真正成為一種結盟、文化與力量。這些傾向生態女性主義思維的方法,由來自亞洲與拉丁美洲兩個區域內的藝術家所提出,如此取樣方式也讓我們有意識地從更多不均等的解殖脈絡裡,去思考歷史進程、環境變遷的聯繫,並且呈現出多重各異的世界觀。

 

 

 

作品介紹

01

奧斯卡.桑蒂安

《樹難》

2022-24

衛星資訊、即時生成碼、4K 錄像投影(無聲)、LCD 螢幕

 

迎接我們進入展間的作品《樹難》,是一個結合人工智慧與生態學的裝置,即時反映生態破壞的現況。當衛星偵測到森林火災時,作品中的AI 系統會即時為這片即將消逝的森林生成一首詩。這些詩將被轉化為數位動畫,投射在屏幕上,形成持續不斷的環境損失敘事。每一首新詩都標誌著一個獨特的火災事件,並在投影旁的小型 LCD 螢幕上記錄其位置和日期。《樹難》作為氣候挑戰的深刻記錄,提供我們一種富有想像力的視角,沒有過度的道德說教而是倡導一個包容性的生態框架,無縫融合了「自然」和「人工」領域,在生與滅的永恆舞蹈中交替前進。

 

 

02 

羅智信

《如果岩石保存被擊碎的聲音,污泥是否對通道還有記憶》

2024

燒過的污水污泥被塗在由夾板、五金件、石膏、金屬網、紗布和物件所製成的隧道狀結構上(有添加品質改良劑:牡蠣粉、火山黏土、草木灰)

 

作品將展覽的主要入口裝置為一個抽象的污水系統甬道,創造強烈的體感壓力與空間換置感。以污水處理廠所收集來的污泥餅作為原料,燒製研磨後轉化作為本雕塑的內面塗料,這座雕塑吞吐著人類的日常排污,放大檢視人類透過飲食、排泄所在自然中產生的必要循環轉換。同時,藝術家更大膽地以鍊金術師的姿態,將廢棄污穢直接轉化為藝術品,提出物質再生和價值創造的路徑,也引導觀眾探索暗黑、穢物、幽閉的精神所在。

 

 

03

黃鼎云、陳業亮 

《半睡半醒,生死微微》

2024

穿戴式互動雕塑:數位印刷、縫製與編織後的各色織品、呼吸與溫度感測器、LED 燈、音響

 

以真菌在生物界中轉換生死的角色與溝通傳導功能為發想起點,延伸對死亡、睡眠、休息等不同代謝狀態的奇想與探索。計畫探索動物冬眠中的身體如何維持其在自然萬物間無聲的聯繫與網絡,邀請觀眾以表演性的姿態在展場內練習各種休息方案。穿戴式雕塑採枯木、菌絲體造型,讓觀眾著裝體驗另類的體感,不同姿勢延伸感知系統,隨著抽象指示調節身心。

 

04

妮可.勒希里耶

《那個大耳朵的》

2023

聲音雕塑,由矽膠、密集板、微電腦控制器、電腦、電機組件、吉他音箱所製

 

《那個大耳朵的》是一種振動膜麥克風,它能與空氣中的聲波、風的輕撫、地面的震動以及人類和非人類實體的接觸所引發的震盪進行互動。與典型的麥克風不同,這個裝置不會將信號隔離,而是將它們融合成一種無法分離的集體噪音——一種錯綜複雜的聲音混合體。作為一個噪音麥克風,它探索的是難以理解的詩意,而非精確的測量。通過故意混淆信號,它挑戰僵化的範式,鼓勵我們重新解讀關係動態和敘事。這種方法引導我們關注替代編碼,加深我們與振動現實的聯繫。它促進了在多樣環境中的集體即興創作,擁抱與觀眾、空間、當地音景、自然元素和無形力量的互動。

 

 

05

塔尼亞.坎迪亞尼

《潮汐編舞》

2023

雙頻道錄像裝置,立體聲,24’ 20’’

 

受到格林村的生活節奏脈動和附近香農河口潮汐律動的啟發,藝術家被當地泳者在滿潮時前往水邊的日常儀式所打動。作品《潮汐編舞》精細地編織了空中和水下的畫面,捕捉高低潮的瞬間,並結合了田野錄音和傳統愛爾蘭旋律。與當地藝術家合作,融合了音樂、口語和身體表演。在動人的結局中,藝術家與社區中超過五十名泳者共同參與,為影片增添了多樣的視角和經驗。這種多重手段揭示了複雜的模式、視角的轉變以及對格林村及其潮汐景觀的生態織錦的深入見解。

 

 

06

吳其育

《薄膜史:無主數據》

2024

單頻道錄像,12’ 30’’ ,與文件檔案

 

本作品企圖在 AI 影像生成的年代,關注媒體歷史、技術與真實世界的關係流變,尤以數位原生角度,抒發對於自然環境可能的鄉愁作為發想起點。在日治時代,台灣樟樹造林產業曾隨著二十世紀影像的物質歷史與工業需求蓬勃成長,然而在合成樟腦普及後,作為賽璐璐影像膠卷的原料樟腦、以及樟樹林業亦隨之式微。而今日的媒體發展趨勢,不只從類比到數位,更在 AI 技術加持下,又將把我們與自然的關係推向何方?作品預計將以完整四個章節的論文電影來深究台灣山林與媒體理論間的特殊在地關係,於本展中首度發表其一篇章與檔案文件,演示生成式數位森林以及影像背後的數據角力。

 

 

07

吳松吉

《時間合奏》

2024

多媒體裝置:雙頻道錄像裝置、竹製雕塑、牆面文字「宇宙不是局部真實的」

 

藝術家長年不倦提問關於宇宙間時空物質的面貌以及表象之後的真諦,同時由哲學、佛學、天文、物理的角度進行探索,並以流動的藝術語言來回應。影像中的形象為分屬泰北、印度、中國、西藏等地不同古文明中的時間之神面貌,採粒子轉化的過程象徵時間的更迭輪迴。來自泰北高原地區的傳統竹編雕塑則表現了空間形式。而量子物理學的重要新發現,則直接以文字轉述物質在被觀測之前不具有特定屬性之意。這個多媒體裝置輕巧地呈現了一種特定的時空物質觀測方案,暗示了在此時此地宇宙對我們展開的樣貌。

 

 

08

余欣蘭

《揹獵物的女人》

2023

紀錄片,單頻道錄像,69’

 

文本,《揹獵物的女人》紀錄片—影像所編織的訊息

Posak Jodian

2023

 

導演以紀錄片的形式講述其母Heydi Mijung作為太魯閣族部落裡唯一的女獵人的故事,她如何突破傳統性別禁忌又同時遵循祖訓Gaya,其身上所傳承的傳統原民狩獵文化存有豐富的生態學養知識。獵人的工作角色並非單純獵捕動物餵養家人,Heydi 更是細膩的觀察者、守護者,她的生命史與家族傳統獵場的山林緊密相繫,並收存了其中各種動植物的生命脈動、山野知識,舉手投足間流露出互惠共棲的文化智慧。

 

 

09

派翠西亞.多明格斯

《植物矩陣》

2021–22

多媒體裝置:4K 單頻道錄像,21’12’’

 

《植物矩陣》是一個植物科幻錄像裝置,重新建立與非人世界的交流,呈現植物宇宙的願景與智慧。作品結合了實驗民族植物學、南美量子哲學和有機技術,挑戰人們的感知並探索植物和精神領域。藝術家汲取了她在秘魯馬德雷德迪奧斯的受人尊敬的治療師Amador Aniceto(被稱為「宇宙動植物總醫師」)的學徒經驗,受其神秘見解啟發,她展開了一段與網際網絡斷連、並與植物矩陣連接的旅程。該裝置詩意地揭示了我們與地球意識及非人類語言的相互聯繫。在此次的《植物矩陣》版本中,藝術家創建了一個造夢台,讓參觀者可以躺下接受曼陀羅花的指引,這種花屬於茄科,被稱為天使號角,以其驅動夢境的力量而聞名。

 

 

10

徐世琪

《宇宙急 Call》

2019

單頻道錄像裝置,12’ 43’’

由 Wellcome Trust 委任製作

 

《徐世琪的真正使命》

2019

單頻道錄像 5’ 03’’

 

藝術家長年探索身體政治議題,檢視科學技術對於人類文化的影響與啟發。作品圍繞著病毒的起源與真相,以香港的疫情史作為背景,科幻敘事美學展開觸及天文學、醫學、歷史文獻的探索,並引據中醫論述、古代宇宙起源說等,建立對病毒的不同認識論,揭示除了主流西方醫學論述以外的多重信仰系統。藝術家以表演形式在錄像結尾為自己注射不同病毒,象徵讓其批判性回歸身體性的實踐之上,喚醒我們身體和宇宙之間的聯繫。

 

 

11

法蘭達.巴瑞托

《觀測儀》

2019

刺繡織品、鉛、木

 

藝術家從一項對大氣運動進行的長期研究內容中發展出本系列作品,探索人類生活、文明與氣候的關係。這套精巧的布面旗幟,繡有氣象預報符號圖示及漁具配重。這些代表氣流、鋒面等的通用圖樣在我們的日常中總提供我們對於氣候變換的想像,其中颶風圖案的由來淵源已久,在前殖民時期於加勒比海地區象徵神明。展覽借這套觀測儀,預測將至的天候。

 

 

12

康雅筑

《藍色海靈》

2014

棉布、攝影藍曬顯影、棉線、羊毛、海廢、竹,線繩

 

翱翔於空中的風箏裝置,造型似飛鳥、似魟魚,同時將觀眾的視線遠遠帶往天空與海底。藝術家運用傳統攝影感光手法以及太陽光的能量,將收集到的海廢物、塑膠碎塊、生物骸骨等物件輪廓顯影到布面上製成風箏。作品詮釋出人為技術與自然力量合作的方式,並具體描繪出人類世的特殊海灘景色,在塑膠垃圾、污染與死亡意象的拼貼裡,牽動我們對科技本質與海洋環境的省思。

 

 

13

大米釀造姐妹俱樂部

《大米釀造姐妹製造:我們的循環系統聯盟》

2024

複合媒材(繩索、紙、牆上絹印、木作)

單頻道錄像(無聲)50’’

 

《海藻包》(於美術館商店展示):藻膠、黃山梔子、洛神花、甘油、糖、鳳梨乾、玻璃罐、紙、鋁盒)

 

《海藻包》由大米釀造姐妹俱樂部、wingwing.home、海民海共同研發、設計

《海藻包》由呂岱如、陳世瑋製作

錄像動畫:KAY

 

這是一場生態與經濟結盟與循環的探索,展現與海洋建立社群的一個提案,並以台灣在地石花菜海藻作為生質塑膠的DIY教學包的原料,邀請觀眾透過與我們的皮膚、微生物、時間、環境的接觸,來創造全植物性、可分解的塑膠,除了創造可以供日用的生質塑膠,也邀請觀眾以自身的身體作為分解與消化場,在使用之後、自行食用分解處理。藝術團體長期關注生態議題與社群建立,思考在不同的跨物種群體之間提出彼此轉化、依賴、永續的路徑。

 

 

14

康絲坦薩.阿朗孔特南

《南美洲板塊有空氣的記憶》

2024

數位 HD 錄像(立體聲),16’ 30’’

 

《南美洲板塊有空氣的記憶》通過非科學的視角探索構造板塊的詩意敘事。此作品創意性地重新詮釋地質概念,從感官和情欲的角度來理解納斯卡板塊與南美洲板塊之間的關係,並將地震視為張力與欲望的表現。這個互動作品邀請觀眾通過動作、觸摸、姿勢和聲音來描繪隱喻這些地質互動,而不僅僅是科學地展示這些現象。這個裝置作品是「納斯卡/南美洲三部曲」的第二章,藝術家的創作關注南美洲板塊,想像它由於支撐安第斯山脈而保留了空氣的記憶。視頻裝置展示了舞者們的動作序列、來自不同安第斯地區的影像、手工製作的大型陶笛以及原創的聲音組合。

 

 

15

法蘭達.巴瑞托

《每針縫線》

2022

織品

 

法蘭達.巴瑞托與丹桑切迪.婓

《滿肚響鈴》

2024

單頻道錄像,HD(有聲),12’ 34’’

 

作品以輕巧又戲劇性的姿態在人體與大氣的交互運動中,表現出變化萬千的張力。藝術家穿著一套能夠充分表現風力的訂製服裝,在各種背景條件變因下測試並翻譯風的語言,該服裝將身體包裹變形,並帶動身體隨風運動。身體在這個狀況下,不只在單一軸心上進行平衡,而是展開多方向的協商,形變成抽象性的多細胞生物;看似獨舞的表演形式,藝術家卻將觀者的注意力導向各種共時的環境細節之中。

 

 

16

蘇郁心

《特殊水,複數》

2023

單頻道錄像裝置,HD 彩色(有聲),18’ 38’’, 循環播放

4 張測試晶圓片,以 3D 列印載具呈現:直徑 30cm,印有黑白海洋觀測衛星影像

黃色透明中空版及木框,尺寸因場地而定

 

《化學之泉》

2023

單頻道錄像,HD(無聲),黑白,1’ 03’’ ,循環播放

 

《台積電的社會水循環》

2023/2024

卡典西德刻字與數位印刷,尺寸因場地而定

 

台灣稱之為護國神山的半導體產業,對水資源的高需求鮮為人知。晶圓片生產所需大量水源對純淨水質的要求則更甚人類飲用水標準,而台灣本身的環境條件與氣候變遷等因素也為其生產線穩定性提供了可能更甚地緣政治因素的變因。該現象引起蘇郁心的關注,她長期研究水女性主義,以劇情片拍攝的方式,描述台積電在新竹地區的水網絡,以及其所擴及的層層複雜人文地理關係——在鏡頭的細膩描繪中,水不只是物質資源,也是各種情感記憶的載體。

 

 

17

lololol

《修行》

2024

4K 影片、音響

 

藝術家選擇了本次展場中最為狹長封閉的樓梯空間,以特定場域的聲音裝置來與觀眾進行身體與空間的探索行動,希望在上下樓梯間的動態中鼓勵大家停頓、來回、反覆性的行進來思考爬樓梯這樣的行為及其隱喻。爬樓梯作為一個基礎的修行練習,在重複的運行之下能進入沈思冥想,而同時,從計算機科學的觀點來看,其動作也被斐波那契數列所規範著。藝術家透過數列重新解構與編排武俠音景,豐富空間的感受質性,並讓這個日常不過的行為,在作品的聲音引導下被賦予更多省察意識。

 

 

18

王永安 

《皮膚考:幽靈變數》

2024

雙頻道錄像裝置,HD 彩色(有聲),13’ 59’’

 

藝術家提出一則迫切提問:AI 有皮膚嗎?在人類身體與演算世界越來越緊密扣合之際,我們如何分辨自體感知與模糊的集體數據的疆界?甚至,人類感官經驗在不被翻譯的狀態下,幾乎成為演算世界裡被遺忘、無關緊要的「幽靈變數」——這個詞彙註記程式中無運算作用的元素,彷彿竟更能生動詮釋當代人類在面對與電腦溝通時的反饋感受。藝術家取徑神經科學觸覺研究,透過情動觸摸實驗所得的神經造影影像,以及舞蹈影像探索,嘗試描繪各種人機介面中被位元化的身體樣態與情感。

 

 

19

黃漢沖  

《群體感應論壇:一次排練》

2021- 持續進行中

印製織品、聲音裝置、詩集《快近、未來》

 

來自新加坡的藝術家黃漢沖在2021年出版科幻長篇詩集《近快,未來》,以俳句形式展開對於亞洲地緣政治的未來測想,描述後威權時代、氣候災難後的淹水亞洲群島,將如何協商新的疫情與監控,而其中的政治隱喻也繼續發展成為本創作計畫的內容。這件持續進行中的歌劇創作,在音樂編曲安排上刻意糊化歌詞的表達,觀眾所費力聆聽到的高強度集體合聲究竟代表疲憊麻木的同質性還是新的威權?彩色旗幟上的圖片與文字作為未來亞洲的檔案,也同樣對民主的形式與象徵意義提出討論。

 

 

20

lololol

《修息》

2021

4K 影片、螢幕、激勵器

 

藝術家採集66種呼吸聲音製作成為一組加密檔案,並顯示在一個裝有動力馬達的螢幕上,同時以電子數字和物理震動的方式轉譯呼吸的頻率內容。這些素材取自人類、靈長類動物、電腦擬音、網路MEME等,擴充對於呼吸、氣體交換等的想像。藝術家將長期對於太極、中醫與科技生活的關注於此融合唯一,嘗試將調息的練習用於串連網路內外空間、與各種非人類達到日常調節與平衡。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024.8.17 2PM Opening

2024.8.18 2-5:30PM Artist Talk, hosted by Yen Yi Lee, Esther Lu

 

 

The Mountain Algorithms unfolds the physical dimensions of time and geography, juxtaposing the wisdom of nature with artificial intelligence to create several compasses for understanding future ecological thinking and practices. The exhibition endeavors to redefine “ecological art" by examining how we can enhance and expand our sensory awareness, create organic processes and cooperative uses between natural and artificial technologies, and place greater emphasis on spiritual and cultural ecological thinking. 

 

It also explores learning different rhythms and metabolic schemes, building ecological communities, cycles, and relationships, and how art can navigate the complex, unstable, and seemingly disintegrating network relationships to transform ecology into an alliance, a culture, and a force. Artists from Asia and Latin America propose various methodologies that lean towards ecofeminism—questioning the multiple domination of nature by anthropocentrism and capitalism. This deliberate sampling allows us to consciously reflect on the historical processes and environmental changes from various uneven decolonization contexts, presenting plural and diverse worldviews. 

 

 

 

ARTWORKS

 

01

Oscar Santillán

Treelemma 

2022-24

Satellite data, real time generative code, 4K video projection (no sound), and LCD screen. 

 

Welcoming us to this exhibition is Treelemma, an installation that blends artificial intelligence with ecology to mirror ecological devastation in real time. When satellites detect a forest fire, the Treelemma  AI system instantaneously generates a poem for the dying forest. These poems are translated into digital animations, projected on a screen as a continuous narrative of environmental loss. Each new poem marks a distinct fire event, memorialized alongside its location and date on a small LCD screen next to the projection. Treelemma  functions as a poignant chronicle of our climate challenges, offering an imaginative viewpoint free from over-moralizing, and advocating for an inclusive ecological framework that seamlessly melds “natural" and “artificial” realms in a perpetual dance of begetting and burning.

 

 

02

Luo Jr-Shin

Can Sludge Hold the Memories of Its Passage, If Stones Can Capture the Echoes of Their Fractures?

2024

Fired sewage sludge is applied to a tunnel-like structure made of plywood, hardware, plaster, wire mesh, gauze, and various objects (with added quality improvers: oyster shell powder, volcanic clay, and plant ash).

 

The main entrance installation of the exhibition takes an abstract departure from a sewer tunnel, creating a strong sense of physical pressure and spatial displacement. Sludge cakes collected from a sewage treatment plant are fired and ground to create the inner coating of this sculpture. This sculpture ingests and expels daily human waste, magnifying and examining the necessary cyclical transformation created by eating and excreting. At the same time, the artist boldly adopts the stance of an alchemist, directly transforming discarded filth into art, proposing pathways for material regeneration and value creation. This process guides the audience to explore the psychological realms of darkness, filth, and confinement.

 

 

03

Huang Ding Yun, Henry Tan 

Sleep is a Little Death, Rest is a Little Growth

2024

Interactive wearable sculpture made of printed, woven, knitted fabrics, breath and temperature sensors, LED lights, speaker

 

Inspired by the role of fungi in the natural world as converters of life and death and communicators, Sleep is a Little Death, Rest is a Little Growth delves into the intriguing states of death, sleep, and rest. The artists investigate how animals in hibernation maintain silent connections and networks within nature, inviting the audience to engage in performative rest practices in the gallery space. Individuals are invited to put on wearable sensory sculptures, fashioned to resemble dead wood and mycelium. This immersive experience allows participants to embody alternative physical postures and extend sensory perceptions, to ultimately tune their minds and bodies to various abstract cues.

 

 

04

Nicole L’Huillier 

La Orejona (XS)

2023

Sonic sculpture made of: Silicone, MDF, microcontroller, computer, electronics, and amplifier.

 

La Orejona is a vibrational membrane microphone that interacts with phenomena such as sound waves in the air, caresses from the wind, tremors from the ground, and oscillations induced by touch from both human and non-human entities. Unlike typical microphones that isolate signals, La Orejona blends them into a collective, inseparable noise—a dense mix of convoluted sound. Acting as a microphone of noise, it explores unintelligible poetics rather than precise measurement. By intentionally confusing signals, it challenges rigid paradigms, encouraging us to reinterpret relational dynamics and narratives. This approach invites attention to alternative codes, deepening our connection to vibrational realities. It fosters collective improvisation in diverse environments, embracing interactions with audiences, spaces, local sounds, natural elements, and unseen forces.

 

 

05

Tania Candiani

Tidal Choreography

2023

Two-channel video installation, stereo sound. 24’ 20’’

 

Inspired by the rhythmic pulse of Glin village and the tidal rhythms of the nearby Shannon Estuary, Tania Candiani immerses herself in the daily ritual of local swimmers, who journey to the water at high tide. Tidal Choreography intricately weaves together aerial and underwater footage, capturing moments at both high and low tide, alongside field recordings and traditional Irish melodies. Collaborating with local artists, the project integrates music, spoken word, and physical performance. Culminating in a poignant finale, the artist is joined by over fifty swimmers from the community, enriching the film with diverse perspectives and experiences. This multifaceted approach reveals intricate patterns, shifts in perspective, and insights into the ecological tapestry of Glin and its tidal landscape.

 

06

Wu Chi-Yu

Stories of Celluloid: Terra Nullius Data

2024

Single-channel video installation, 12’ 30’’ and archive 

 

Stories of Celluloid: Terra Nullius Data is an essay film in four chapters that explores the evolving relationship between media history, technology, and the natural world in the age of AI image generation.  This chapter, Terra Nullius Data, expresses the lost nostalgia and connection for the natural environment from a digitally native perspective. In the 20th century  during the Japanese colonial period, Taiwan's camphor tree industry thrived as camphor was an essential ingredient in celluloid which was used to make film. Once synthetic camphor was invented, demand for the raw material and thus  the camphor forestry industry both declined. Today's media development trends are transitioning from analog to digital and further propelled by AI technology. When looking back raises the question: where will our relationship with nature be headed next? This project examines the intricate connection between Taiwan's forests and international media theory. The Mountain Algorithms exhibition debuts this one chapter from Stories of Celluloid and several accompanying archival documents, demonstrating the generative digital forest and the data dynamics behind the imagery.

 

 

07

Chitti Kasemkitvatana

Kala Ensemble

2024

Multimedia installation with two-channel video installation, bamboo sculpture and wall text “The universe is not locally real” in Chinese, English and Thai

 

Driven by an enduring curiosity about the nature of space, time, and matter in the universe, Chitti Kasemkitvatana investigates  these mysteries through the lenses of philosophy, Buddhism, astronomy, and physics, responding with a fluid artistic language. The video depicts various ancient deities of time from different civilizations in northern Thailand, India, China, and Tibet, symbolizing the cyclical nature of time through a process of particle transformation. Traditional bamboo sculptures from the highlands of northern Thailand represent spatial forms. Meanwhile, recent breakthroughs in quantum physics are conveyed textually, illustrating how matter lacks specific properties until observed. This multimedia installation elegantly presents a unique perspective on “spacetimemattering”, suggesting the observable universe can reveal itself to us at our situated moment.

 

 

08

Rngrang Hungul

The Woman Carrying the Prey

2023

Documentary, Single channel video, 69’

 

Text, Messages woven from the film The Woman Carrying the Prey

Posak Jodian

2023

 

In this documentary, the director Rngrang Hungul tells the story of her mother, Heydi Mijung, the only female hunter in the Truku tribe. Heydi defies traditional gender norms while adhering to the ancestral teachings of Gaya. She embodies a rich repository of indigenous hunting culture and ecological knowledge. Her hunter's role extends beyond catching animals to feed the family; Heydi is also a meticulous observer and guardian. Her life story is intricately connected to her family's hunting ground, preserving the life rhythms and natural knowledge of various plants and animals in the surrounding mountain area in Hualien. Her movements and footprints unfold much of the reciprocal wisdom of symbiosis culture.

 

 

09

Patricia Domínguez

Matrix Vegetal

2021–22

Multimedia Installation with 4K video, 21'12''

 

Matrix Vegetal is a botanical science fiction video installation that aims to reconnect communication with the more-than-human world, presenting visions and wisdom from the plant universe. Combining experimental ethnobotany, South American quantum philosophy, and organic technologies, it challenges perception and explores plant and spiritual realms. Patricia Domínguez draws from her apprenticeship with Amador Aniceto, a revered healer in Peru, known as the "General Physician of the Flora and Fauna of the Universe." Inspired by his mystical insights, she embarked on a journey to disconnect from the digital realm and connect with the vegetal matrix. This installation poetically reveals our interconnectedness with planetary consciousness and non-human languages. For this edition of Matrix Vegetal, the artist created a dreaming station where visitors can lie down to receive the guidance of Brugmansia flowers, or Angel Trumpets, which are part of the nightshade family Solanaceae, and known for their powers to drive dreams.

 

 

10

Angela Su

Cosmic Call

2019

Single-channel video installation, 12' 43"

Cosmic Call is commissioned by Wellcome Trust.

 

Angela Su’s True Calling 

2019

Single-channel video, 5' 03" 

 

Having long explored issues of body politics, examining the impact and inspiration of scientific and technological advancements on human culture, Su’s work Cosmic Call focuses on the origins and truths of disease outbreaks, set against the backdrop of Hong Kong's epidemic histories. Through a science fiction narrative aesthetic, the work explores astronomy, medical advancements, and historical documents, incorporating traditional Chinese medicine discourse and ancient cosmological theories to establish a different epistemology of epidemic. This approach reveals multiple belief systems beyond mainstream Western medical narratives. In the video’s conclusion, the artist performs a ritual, injecting herself with different viruses, symbolizing a return of critical inquiry to bodily practice and awakening the connection between our bodies and the universe.

 

11

Fernanda Barreto

Meters

2019

Embroidery on fabrics, lead, wood

 

The artist developed this series of work from an extensive study of atmospheric movements, exploring the relationship between human life, civilization, and climate. This set of fabric flags is embroidered with intricate weather forecast symbols and fishing gear weights. These universal patterns representing recurring patterns in air currents, weather fronts, and other meteorological phenomena shape our thoughts and perceptions about climate change in our everyday lives. The origin of the hurricane pattern dates back to pre-Hispanic times when it symbolized the deity in Caribbean culture. The exhibition opens with this set of observational instruments used to forecast upcoming weather.

 

12

Ya-Chu Kang

Blue Healing

2014

Cotton fabric, cyanotype, cotton thread, wool, marine debris, bamboo, yarn

 

Kites in the shape of manta rays soar in the air, drawing the viewers' attention both to the sky and the ocean. The artist employs cyanotype exposure techniques and the energy of sunlight to transfer the silhouettes of collected marine debris, plastic fragments, and biological remains onto the fabric of the kites. This work interprets a paradigm of collaboration between human technology and natural forces, vividly depicting the unique beachscapes of the Anthropocene. Through a collage of plastic waste, pollution, and images of death, Blue Healing provokes reflection on the nature of technology and the state of the marine environment.

 

 

13

Rice Brewing Sisters Club

Rice Brewing Sisters Production: Our Circular Alliances

2024

Mixed media (rope, paper, screenprint on wall, wood panels)

Single channel video, 50 sec, silent, loop

 

Agarkit (displayed in the shop): agar-agar, gardenia, roselle, glycerin, sugar, dried pineapple, glass jar, paper, tin box)

 

Agarkit conceived and designed by Rice Brewing Sisters Production & wingwing.home & haeminhae

Agarkit produced by Esther Lu, Sophie Chen

Video animated by KAY

 

This work proposes building a community with the ocean,  exploring the alliance between–and the cycles of–ecology and economy. Using locally sourced agar seaweed from Taiwan as the raw material for a DIY bioplastic kit, the project invites participants to create fully plant-based, biodegradable plastic through contact with our skin, microbes, time, and the environment. In addition to making bioplastics for daily use, participants are also encouraged to use their own bodies as sites for decomposition and digestion, consuming and processing the material after use. The Rice Brewing Sisters Club art collective has long focused on ecological issues and community building, contemplating pathways for mutual transformation, dependence, and sustainability among different cross-species groups.

 

 

14

Constanza Alarcón Tennen

Sudamericana Tiene Memoria del Aire (South American Plate Has a Memory of the Air) 

2024

Digital HD Video (Stereo), 16’ 30’’

 

Sudamericana tiene memoria del aire explores a poetic narrative of tectonic plates through a non-scientific lens. Creatively reinterpreting geological concepts, this work reframes the relationship between the Nazca and Sudamericana plates as sensual and erotic, and positions earthquakes as symbols of tension and desire. This interactive work invites movement, touch, gestures, poses, and sounds, metaphorically depicting this geological  interaction rather than simply scientifically illustrating such phenomena. This installation is the second chapter of the Nazca/Sudamericana trilogy, and Constanza Alarcón Tennen focuses on the South American plate, imagining it retaining memories of air due to its role in supporting the Andes Mountains. The video installation features dancers performing movement sequences, footage from various Andean sites, hand-shaped clay whistles, and an original sound composition.

 

15

Fernanda Barreto

Every Stitch of the Needle

2022

Fabrics

 

Fernanda Barreto and Dan Sánchez D. Vil

Panza Llena de Sonajas (A Bellyful of Rattles) 

2024

Single-channel HD video (sound), 12’ 34’’

 

This work expresses the ever-changing tension in the interplay between the human body and the surrounding atmosphere. The artist wears a custom-made costume designed to fully capture the wind’s force, experimenting with its language and translation under various conditions. This costume envelops and deforms the body, allowing it to move with the wind. In this state, the body does not balance on a single axis but rather navigates in multiple directions, evolving into an abstract, multi-cellular organism. Appearing as a solo dance, the artist directs the viewer’s attention to various simultaneous environmental details.

 

16

Su Yu Hsin

Particular Waters

2023

Single-channel video installation, HD color (sound), 18’ 38’’, loop

4 dummy wafers presented with 3D-printed holders, 30cm diameter, imprinted ocean satellite imagery, black and white

Yellow translucent polycarbonate sheets with wood structure, dimension variable

 

Spring of Chemistry 

2023

Single-channel video, HD (no sound), black and white, 1’ 03’’, loop

 

Hydrosocial Cycle of TSMC 

2023/2024

Vinyl and digital print on adhesive transparent film, dimension variable

 

Taiwan's semiconductor industry, revered as the island’s "guardian mountain" by locals, has an immense yet little-known reliance on water resources. The production process of thin slices of silicon, known as wafers demands vast quantities of water whose required purity levels surpass those required for human consumption. Taiwan's unique environmental conditions and the impact of climate change actually introduce variables that may affect production stability even more than geopolitical factors. This intricate dynamic has sparked the interest of the artist who has been following hydrofeminist pathways. Through this narrative film, Su Yu Hsin explores TSMC's water network in the Hsinchu region, unraveling the layered and complex human geography intertwined with it. In her artful depiction, water emerges not merely as a physical resource but as a carrier of emotional memory and cultural significance.

 

17

lololo

CultivatingSteps

2024

4K video, speakers

 

The artists chose the most enclosed staircase space in the exhibition for this site-specific sound installation, which aims to engage the audience in the repetitive act of going up and down the stairs, to inspire reflections on the simple act of stair climbing and the many metaphors that arise from this activity. Climbing stairs is a basic act of training in wushu culture, at the same time, from a computer science perspective, the action of climbing stairs is governed by the Fibonacci sequence. Guided by a deconstructed wushu soundscape inspired by the sequence of fibonacci, the artists seek to enrich the sensory attributes of the site and transform an ordinary activity into a conscious movement filled with introspection and meditation.

 

 

18

Wang Yung-An

Skin Archaeology: Ghost Variables

2024

Two-channel video installation, HD Color (Sound), 13’ 59’’

 

The artist raises a question: Does AI have skin? As the human body and the computational world become increasingly intertwined, how do we distinguish between personal perception and the blurred boundaries of collective data? Moreover, if human sensory experiences are not properly integrated or represented in the digital realm, they may lose their significance and be overlooked or left untranslated, becoming "ghost variables" in the computational world—forgotten and irrelevant. This term denotes elements in a program that have no computational function, vividly capturing the feedback sensation humans experience when communicating with computers. Drawing from neuroscience studies on touch, the artist utilizes neuroimaging from affective touch experiments and dance imagery to explore and depict the digitized states of the body and emotions in various human-machine interfaces.

 

 

19

Jason Wee

Quora Fora A Rehearsal

2021-ongoing

Printed fabric, sound installation and poetry book In Short, Future Now

 

Composers: Li-Chuan Chong, Aran O’Grady, Khris Nung

Design: Quck Zhong Yi

Singers: Wilson Goh, Wei Yi, Ong Kok Leong, John Rae Cortes, Lim Ming Boon, Scoring The Word quartet.

 

In 2021, Singaporean artist Jason Wee published the science fiction poetry book In Short, Future Now, envisioning the future of Asian geopolitics in haiku form. This poem describes how the flooded Asian archipelago negotiates new pandemics and surveillance in a post-authoritarian era. The political metaphors within the poem are developed into a libretto for Quora Fora: A Rehearsal, an ongoing opera project with a musical arrangement that deliberately blurs the libretto. Audiences are left unsure whether the intense collective chorus represents exhausted homogeneity or a new form of authority. Exhibited alongside the opera are images and text on colorful banners, serving as archives of future Asia, and questioning the forms and symbolic meanings of democracy.

 

 

20

lololol

BreathCultivating

2021

4K video, monitor, exciter

 

The artists Xia Lin and Sheryl Cheung of lololol collected 66 distinct breathing sounds, transforming them into an encrypted file displayed on a motorized screen. This installation translates the frequency of breaths into electronic data and physical vibrations. Drawing from a diverse array of sources—humans, primates, computer simulations, and internet memes—the work expands our understanding of respiration and gaseous alchemy. Integrating their interest in Tai Chi, traditional Chinese medicine, and contemporary technology, the artists explore the practice of breath regulation as a means to connect digital and physical realms. This work seeks to harmonize and balance interactions between human and non-human entities, offering a meditative connection in everyday life.