Coast Mining

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Petrochemical objects, sea sand, Lambda print, Diasec (acrylic, aluminum frame)

Installation size

2014-2015

 

In Tainan, we have a disregard coast, enormous amounts of consumer waste trashed on this remote beach. Some oyster-farmer came here to burn the oyster trellis in order to retrieve metals. Garbage that blurred with discard or burn, further deteriorated with heavy weathering near the coast, giving texture with erosion and sunlight. Over time, shells, sand and petrochemical waste that is hard to decompose by nature fusing each other into some strange objects. Nature domesticated these unconsciously “products" a local "mineral".

 

The so-called “Mineral" appears like nature, but made with composite materials that are not admitted and insoluble in nature. These "Mineral" indicates that classification of "artificial" and "natural" are no longer applicable in this circulating world. Perhaps the "naturalization of artificial objects" and the "artificialization of natural objects" will become a more meaningful standard of differentiation.

 

“Mineral” as a metaphor of resource. Conceptually recycling these trash into mineral. To avoid product discard after recycling, I then recycle these "mineral" into digital data with a 3D scanner. Transcoding "mineral" into 3D model files that have no thickness yet still maintain its volume and surface texture, the soul of object abstract from trash that toward to the end of use value, and reincarnation inside front-end software. Series modify, copy and recompose change the digital model of "mineral" rapidly, I named this process Digital Weathering. For (α) series, the second-born model from scanning mixed with software-originated model and sticks each other, like organics stick with artificial in nature after a long time. (β) series use only models from scanning, modify and copy itself, with pattern material replace orderly to achieve a self-cycle.

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