ELAINE XUHONG CHEN
01
When the wind blows(2023)
Mixed Media: plumbing pipe and fitting, wooden ruller, servo motor, sensor,
microcontroller chip
Size: Variable
The work titled "When the wind blows" is inspired from an ancient ballad of the Mongolian ethnic group in China. The folk song, from which the artwork derives its title, describes the grazing scenery of Mongolian nomads on the grasslands approximately 1500 years ago. The song depicts the exposure of hidden cattle and sheep in the high grass brought about by the blowing of the wind. While the wind is a natural phenomenon, its metaphorical representation in the human mind transcends the physical realm. This representation signifies the manifestation of an individual's self-awareness, which unearths the limitations and constraints of personal concepts, and clears biases and conventional thinking in cognition.
The Nonexistent Knight(2023)
Mixed Media: found objects, rubber pipe, light stripe, servo motor, microcontroller chip, sensor
Size: 200x100x100cm
The Nonexistent Knight presents a mechanized body composed of autonomous functions—breathing, circulation, motion, orientation—each operating correctly yet without necessity. A chair stands in for the human body, not as a figure to be animated, but as a structure that sustains activity in the absence of life.
Mechanical lungs open and close without air exchange; a head rotates without focus; an arm performs repetitive labor without outcome; a heart pulses automatically without emotion. These systems do not collaborate to produce meaning, but persist as parallel operations.
Inspired by Italo Calvino’s Algilulf, the installation stages existence as a condition of continuous function rather than lived experience. The work examines a contemporary state in which bodies, technologies, and social roles endure through operation alone—maintained, regulated, and obedient, even after interiority has disappeared.
Listen to the whispers #1(2024)
Mixed Media: wood, plastic sheet, card board, servo motor, microcontroller chip, sensor
Size: 200x200x250cm
Inspired by the intricate interplay between color, shape and movement, the installation transforms the ephemeral beauty of watercolor into a dynamic and immersive experience.
Derived from a watercolor painting, these fragments of colorful shapes are freed from the constraints of a traditional canvas and given new freedoms to dance and sway according to the nuances of sound.
Listen to the whispers #2(2024)
Mixed Media: copper pipe, rubber, cow bell, servo motor, microcontroller chip
Size: 200x100x250cm
The ebb and flow of market forces generates a dynamic tension within the structure of the installation, causing it to tremble and sway in the air . The installation is trying to capture the relation between human experience and economy system that both captivating and disconcerting, inviting viewers to contemplate the profound impact they have on our lifes.
Listen to the whispers #3
(2024)
Mixed Media: wood, found objects, servo motor, microcontroller chip,sensor
Size: 300x100x200cm
The installation elevates everyday objects into graceful performers, guided by robotic arms in a mesmerizing dance in the air. Through bridging art, technology, and human engagement ,the installation create a space for meditation or reflection on technology, machine, and the inherent beauty of the ordinary.