magnet, steel plate, magnetic powder, needle, thread
size variable upon installation
2018
The title of this work ‘Stranding’ infers notions of displacement or migration
which have repeated from not only animals world but also humans history.
In this work, the artist tries to depicts and links human fate to the phenomenon of the natural world
by using the behaviour of materials. The form of materials and the metaphor of title unfold the poetic moment.
When animal migrates, they use environmental clues such as temperature, light levels of sun, moon and stars to help them make their way. Earth’s magnetic field is also one of the unique things which lead animal emigration. Through these clues, animals detect the grid of space and the sense the time ingrained in their head.
However, occasionally, some animals (specifical whale) leave their group to deviate from the course, losing their reliable sources of food and drink. This can result in an eventual suicide in the middle of nowhere. This phenomenon is called Stranding which has no apparent logical cause. This represents the unknown irrational aspect of nature that has lost the direction of life.
Photo by Guy LHeureux