The Taiwanese art collective Synphysica, led by Chiaochi Chou and Youyang Hu, will present their first solo exhibition in New York, Being Transducer, at Pace University Art Gallery, on view through Saturday, October 26, 2024. This exhibition expands upon their ongoing exploration of a "bio-Internet of Things," drawing from philosopher Timothy Morton's object-oriented ecological philosophy. It delves into the intricate relationship between plants and humans, mediated by technology.
Being Transducer aims to reveal a network of biological signals that transcend individual, species, geographic, and temporal boundaries, highlighting the complex relationships and multiple existences within ecosystems.
Founded in 2018 by Chou and Hu, Synphysica is known for its large-scale installations that incorporate living organisms, including humans and plants. Their work seeks to reveal the subjectivity of non-human entities through bioelectrical signals, break down physical barriers between species, and visually portray the ecological landscape of collective interactions. Their solo exhibition at Pace University engages with Timothy Morton’s concept of "dark ecology," illustrating how all elements within an ecosystem—human and non-human alike—exist within a complex, interwoven network.
The exhibition highlights both the visible interactions within this ecology and the subtle, often imperceptible interactions that lie beneath the surface. As Chou explains, “The boundary between humans and nature is absolutely blurred. We cannot regard nature simply as an external world. The concept of humans and nature being a binary relationship must be cast away.”
Exhibition Details:
Being Transducer
Venue: Pace University Art Gallery (41 Park Row, New York, NY)
Opening hours: October 1-26, 2024
Tuesday-Saturday 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.,
Thursday until 7:00 p.m. and by appointment (Free admission)
More Info:
https://www.pace.edu/dyson/life-dyson/art-gallery/current-exhibition
https://www.instagram.com/paceuniversityartgallery/
About the Synphysica art collective
Synphysica was founded in 2018 by artists Chiaochi Chou and Youyang Hu. The name signifies a millennium-born entity, without a fixed form, existing as an elusive data presence. The collective is renowned for its signature use of hybrid media and large-scale installations.
Chou and Hu leverage their diverse backgrounds to explore the relationship between humans and nature through the interactions among humans and non-humans driven by biosignals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they reassessed the impact of technology on ecological evolution in their isolated lives, subsequently focusing their creative direction on exploring the essence of objects and life, extending beyond a human-centric perspective. As a result, their creative domain shifted from indoor exhibition spaces to natural environments, employing sensors and algorithms to detect, analyze, and transform scenarios not limited to human experience but constructed by both living and non-living entities. This approach has solidified the collective’s methodology of integrating research and creation, highlighting the ontological world structured by the two artists.
Chou is an emerging Taiwan artist, renowned for her installation art that incorporates living organisms and physical materials. She also oversees the organization of the collective's exhibitions. Chou is currently pursuing a PhD at Tsinghua University under the guidance of Professor Chia-Wei Li. As the 2024 recipient of the Asian Cultural Council fellowship, she is currently residing in NYC. She was also a member of the IDSA x Ars Electronica Founding Lab.
Hu is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher whose expertise in firmware integration leads the collective’s development capabilities. His work spans bioinformatics, AI (Artificial Intelligence) algorithms, human-computer interaction, and mixed reality research, with many publications in top conferences and journals in computer science. He is currently a PhD student at Professor Yasuaki Kakehi Lab at the University of Tokyo.
The six immersive artworks on display showcase Synphysica's creative evolution from 2020 to 2024. They reveal how subtle life signals manifest within materials and traverse connections between humans, nature, and objects—both physically and virtually. The installations create links from New York's bustling skyscrapers to forests around the globe, highlighting the intricate interplay between these diverse environments.