Installation
Furniture
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About
2024
Date: 2024
Medium: resin, stepper motor, acrylic, customized PCB, power supply
Special Thanks: Zi Chen (Code Edit)
Inspired by the ancient Chinese saying "喜怒哀乐" (joy, anger, sadness, happiness — a poetic representation of human emotions) and the symbolism of Buddhist four-faced Buddha statues, the installation fuses traditional icons with modern mechanisms. This creates a visual metaphor for the ongoing struggle between our innate emotional nature and the mechanized routines imposed by contemporary society.
The Buddha heads, arranged in a matrix to symbolize collectivism and societal order, rotate on programmed mechanisms that follow an enigmatic rhythm, suggesting an underlying, invisible order. At each interval, the system randomly selects a predefined rotation mode for all heads to follow, introducing unpredictability within a structured framework. This paradox—the juxtaposition of machine-driven precision with emotional unpredictability—invites viewers to reflect on the tension between collective conformity and individual emotional expression.
“The message I aim to convey through this project is that emotions, while often overwhelming, unpredictable, and vulnerable, are an integral part of the human experience. Rather than suppressing or avoiding them, I seek to fully embrace the authenticity of my feelings. Through this exploration, I hope to inspire others to find strength in their vulnerability and authenticity, reminding us that to feel deeply is to be profoundly human.”
-ziggy