LATENT
Chok Si Xuan
Could flowers breathe like humans do?
Examine the line between the organic and inorganic as you breathe alongside this simulation of a natural system. Take a minute to settle and slow your breath. Gently expanding and contracting, these mechanical flowers and delicate air bags simulate the natural and essential process of breathing. The fate of the natural world is a recurring theme in science fiction, which often sees natural and technological systems intertwining. Suspended mid-air, ethereal tubular vines drape down, collapsing the distance between the mechanical and natural worlds. When you imagine a possible future where nature has been replaced by technology, it could look something like this.
Plants move at a different pace to us humans. Take a moment. Are you able to observe them?
Chok Si Xuan is a Singaporean installation artist interested in cybernetics—the feedback systems that occur between humans, living organisms and machines. Her work is influenced by technology and science fiction. She has worked with institutions such as Singapore Art Museum, Esplanade, National Library Singapore, as well as independent art spaces such as starch and Yeo Workshop in Singapore.
Installation photography: Matthew Stanton