2024 - Traveling with the Light

Background: The world is being ”drowned” in plastic. Data shows that about 8 to 10 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, and plastics have a much longer lifespan than humans, it could possibly float five hundred to even thousands of years to degrade in the ocean, severely damaging the ecosystem. Research has found that microplastics (plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter) can enter the human body through various pathways such as food, drinking water, breathing, and skin contact, and they are difficult to metabolize, potentially accumulating in organ tissues, causing inflammation and damage. Microplastics can also act as carriers, adsorbing and transmitting toxic chemicals, posing health risks. Therefore, we must take measures to raise awareness of the harm of microplastics, reduce plastic usage and disposal, to protect health and the environment. This project is created around this theme.
Structure and Materials: Ice sculpture art exhibitions are held annually in many places, and we will construct a set of marine-themed ice and snow facilities at the exhibition, one of which is the ”Ice and Snow Underwater Time Tunnel.” The tunnel, built of ice blocks, has its inner wall surface carved with rectangular, square, and circular protruding ice reliefs from the entrance to the center, decreasing in size, ultimately becoming small specks, symbolizing the decomposition and micro-particleization process of plastics in the ocean. Some ice reliefs of plastic products are interspersed on the inner wall on the entrance side, while on the exit side are ice reliefs of marine creatures. Underneath the arched ceiling, large-scale sculptures made of plastic products, marine creatures, and various fragments are suspended using organic glass materials, with fluorescent agents added to the materials. It vividly expresses the culprit and victims of plastic micro-particle hazards.
Time and Space: The shape of the tunnel adopts the ancient ”hourglass” used for timekeeping, endowing it with two axes: time and space. Following Einstein’s theory of spacetime curvature, the time axis is curved, symbolizing the significant role of time in the process of plastic particleization. The direction of the space axis is manipulated to create an opening and closing effect, bringing psychological impact to visitors entering it. It depicts a complete process: the harm seems distant from us → gradually approaching → feeling of oppression → spread of influence → profundity of harm.
Role of Light: Sunlight, like a messenger of the gods, sends light into the deep, blue ocean floor, revealing the destruction of marine habitats. Immersed in it, we receive friendly reminders and warnings. The Earth is the home of humanity, and the environment is our survival dependence. Protecting the environment and preserving health are our shared responsibilities.
Viewer Experience: During the day, sunlight penetrates the tunnel through the ice blocks, refracting through the uneven surfaces of the inner walls, creating colorful streams and floating shadows. It feels like being underwater, yet also like traversing a space-time tunnel. The realism of ice and snow also creates an illusion of being frozen in the glacial era, with time seemingly standing still, experiencing the entire event in an instant. At night, the energy converted from sunlight by energy storage devices illuminates the optical fibers and beads buried in the ice sculptures, with the changing colors and light resembling the montage of a movie. Amidst the wonder and joy, people feel the philosophical connotations conveyed by the messenger of sunlight. Just like the ancient Oriental saying: ”Moistening things silently.”