Umwelt [sim]
2020
Audio-Visual Installation
Dimensions variable, landscape orientation
7 min 13 sec, loop

Umwelt [sim] is an audio-visual simulation of the installation work, Umwelt, originally commissioned by curator Fram Kitagawa for the 2019 Shanghai Urban Space Art Season (SUSAS). Based on the samples taken from the Chongming Island National Forest Park near Shanghai, the artist virtually reconstructed the natural landscape through digital technology, then designed a computer vision system to observe this virtual environment. The main structure with the four screens in the installation can be considered as a metaphor for the "tree" which supports the constant exchange and transfer of matter and energy in the environment. In this parallel simulated reality, the screens hanging in different directions perform the role of mirrors, reflecting the visual landscape shared by both human and machine.