Ziyang Wu
In his artistic practice, Ziyang Wu is interested in contemporary technology, data-driven environments and virtual worlds, as well as their role in recreating and reconsidering human relations. For the Future Generation Art Prize, he presents his new work Agartha – video-game, which integrates media archaeology, historical documents, field research, and science fiction. According to ancient Indian texts, Agartha is a cave, which lies beneath the Atlantic Ocean, linking the continents of Europe, Asia, America, and Africa, with secret exits in Mexico, Turkey, China, India, and Spain. It appears as a mysterious subterranean world, harboring infinite unknowns.
The work aims to reveal that the existence of the world is gradually formed through diverse, accidental, mutated, or erroneous connections. Amplifying this thought, the video-essay brings together different stories like the Tree Alliance in the Petén-Veracruz moist forest in Guatemala with its nutritional sharing systems between trees, and the evidence of social behavior of Peruvian rattle snakes. By drawing parallels between the interconnections among plants, insects, and animals, an imagined ecological political system also unfolds – referring to a cross-species communication experiment in the Virgin Islands in the 1960s and the Internet Pigeon Network in the Gaza region. The video becomes a plot-driven part of the puzzle computer game, which uses the classic connecting the dots mechanism, where players link different objects with beams of light to construct complex connections to complete the tasks in each level.
Inspired by classic ancient circular chart paintings, such as Anima Mundi (The Soul of the World) by Robert Fludd, the two circular light boxes serve as a conceptual genealogy chart and character list for the artwork, illustrating the significant concepts within Agartha.
Combining the theories of Matthew Fuller, Bruno Latour, Graham Harman and Timothy Morton, the work underscores the intricate and often fragile web of connections that shape our world, inviting viewers to consider the broader implications of their interactions within these interconnected systems – natural, political, or digital. By doing so, Agartha not only brings to light the complexity of these networks, but also reveals the potential dangers, both material and spiritual, that lie within our evolving ecosystems.
In his artistic practice, Ziyang Wu is interested in contemporary technology, data-driven environments and virtual worlds, as well as their role in recreating and reconsidering human relations. For the Future Generation Art Prize, he presents his new work Agartha – video-game, which integrates media archaeology, historical documents, field research, and science fiction. According to ancient Indian texts, Agartha is a cave, which lies beneath the Atlantic Ocean, linking the continents of Europe, Asia, America, and Africa, with secret exits in Mexico, Turkey, China, India, and Spain. It appears as a mysterious subterranean world, harboring infinite unknowns.
The work aims to reveal that the existence of the world is gradually formed through diverse, accidental, mutated, or erroneous connections. Amplifying this thought, the video-essay brings together different stories like the Tree Alliance in the Petén-Veracruz moist forest in Guatemala with its nutritional sharing systems between trees, and the evidence of social behavior of Peruvian rattle snakes. By drawing parallels between the interconnections among plants, insects, and animals, an imagined ecological political system also unfolds – referring to a cross-species communication experiment in the Virgin Islands in the 1960s and the Internet Pigeon Network in the Gaza region. The video becomes a plot-driven part of the puzzle computer game, which uses the classic connecting the dots mechanism, where players link different objects with beams of light to construct complex connections to complete the tasks in each level.
Inspired by classic ancient circular chart paintings, such as Anima Mundi (The Soul of the World) by Robert Fludd, the two circular light boxes serve as a conceptual genealogy chart and character list for the artwork, illustrating the significant concepts within Agartha.
Combining the theories of Matthew Fuller, Bruno Latour, Graham Harman and Timothy Morton, the work underscores the intricate and often fragile web of connections that shape our world, inviting viewers to consider the broader implications of their interactions within these interconnected systems – natural, political, or digital. By doing so, Agartha not only brings to light the complexity of these networks, but also reveals the potential dangers, both material and spiritual, that lie within our evolving ecosystems.
