In the last two weeks, I was stuck in a hotel room and got little progress in making art. when I close my books, TV, and computer, sit and feel the time passing, I feel like a humble mushroom myself, growing secretly in a limited space.
They seem insignificant but they are constantly evolving in their own independent universe. What’s more, I think the growth of those humble things shows traditional Chinese living wisdom--
“how we can live in a plight? We accept it, adjust by it, we use a submissive gesture to fight against it.”
Stemonitis axifera is a species of slime mold. It fruits in clusters on dead wood and has distinctive tall reddish-brown sporangia, supported on slender stalks.
I found a species of mold named Stemonitis shows a curious sense of beauty, I was attracted by its growing process--
Stemonitis requires about 20 hours to finish making its fruit bodies. At first, it's white, pure as snow, after several hours it will turn to blood red, then black and finally stop growing with rust red.
Heating, alcohol, heating
Alcohol, heating, alcohol
Through different procedures and methods, I have produced a variety of images
The lines of the bristle brush are like mycelium, which grows upwards in a high-spirited posture
19/08/2020 Tutorial with Stephen Wilson
After I finished the introduction of my late practices, Stephen asked me about the following question:
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Is the subject of the mushroom and the germ about a culture of global decay? The climate crisis etc
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what is interesting to me is how the mushrooms might be calling for a new form of attention during this pandemic? is this calling about repair?
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how might the video discuss the notion of foreign learning, deep listening (Pauline Oliveros), and ultimately an estrangement from the familiar world we inhabit.
recording the process of change
Questioning about those questions, I started to make the video,
I decided to film the changing process and all kinds of possibilities for thermal paper. Thermal paper is a special fine paper that is coated with a material formulated to change color when exposed to heat, furthermore, a fingernail swiped quickly across the paper will also generate enough heat from friction to produce a mark. Once the temperature has risen above 60c, the paper would be colored in a very short time, however, the mark can only be reserved for a few months.
Its sensitivity and instability give it a unique sense of beauty, which has become the driving force for my creation.I am fascinated by the indirect painting methods, and a plain and abstract style is my preference. I think this material can express my thinking about time and the universe perfectly. By heating and alcohol- applying, I created a visual language on paper like traditional Chinese ink painting, which further led me to explore the aesthetic context of the East.
The Growth
21 x 30 cm (4p)
Thermal paper, alcohol
During the home isolation period, depression and anxiety made me often insomnia. I was restricted from moving freely and felt extraordinarily lonely in a foreign country. I started listening to sleep aid music. My favorite is the sound of rain in the forest and outdoor campfires. The sounds of nature can help me quickly restore inner peace, by hearing that can I get satisfied just because I am a human being. I feel like the moss in the corner grows slowly and quietly. I am eager to escape from imprisonment at that very moment.
The sound of rain in the forest makes people feel calm, comfortable and moist. It is designed to remind the audience a feeling of "growing"; the creaking sound of the campfire implies that the material is being heated;
It’s worth mentioning that the electronic music that sounds every five seconds in the background music, from Kouichi Okamoto’s CD [Random], it has various scales included in the 99 tracks and when played randomly, the CD will automatically create unpredictable melodies leading to an endless combination of tracks. I want to suggest a sense of random but eternal to the audience.
Most areas of mainland China have already lifted the quarantine policy. With masks on, we can go to any place for any activities. In this situation, I found an abandoned hospital in Changsha, the city where I live. At the very beginning, I expect this project should be displayed in the scene of life, the inner space of a building, somewhere solid and composite, in order to maximize my creative intention. So when I take the first glance at this hospital, I think this is a wonderful, natural exhibition hall for my works. It is in disrepair and left unattended. The walls are covered with moss and the windows are broken. , these wonderful details made me dreaming of the scene after human beings disappear, it was so quiet and mysterious.
No one is guarded and no one takes care of it. The house is full of debris and disposable plastic bottles. Because of its unique landscape, it is now a popular space for photography, many photographers will come to visit.
My friend and I entered the building cautiously. The summer in Changsha was hot and humid, so the ground was covered with water and moss, but I think these creatures and plants are very compatible with my works.
They have the same temperament and create a full-scale and multi-angle exhibition experience for the audience.
the discarded furniture (chairs, bed frames, etc.) left in the interior of the building shows that this was once a life-like scene, which quickly reminded me of my lonely, depressive isolated life in the beginning of this year. Making an exhibition in such a dilapidated space is an excellent idea as I think. I hope the audience can calm down from the moment they walk into the building so that they can feel the field I created, where a place transcends the limitations of time and space, furthermore, they can appreciate the flow of time and feel the eternal mood around themselves.