2021
Glass Beads, Plexiglas, filament
Hermès at Plaza 66, Shanghai
Hanging above the spiral staircase leading to the second floor, “Emergence” is a curiously amorphous form made of glass beads suspended in space by thousands of clear filaments, as though a mirage has been captured and placed on pause. Over 10,000 beads generate a pixelated form that glistens as it catches the light, as though it is merely a hallucination. The subtle quivering of the strings and pearl-like beads holds its form together to create organic curves and undulations evoking a subtle image of a racing horse in the clouds. The shape and the interplay between light and color pave the way for flights of the imagination.
Clouds are continually in motion, shaping and regenerating themselves. Likewise, ‘Emergence’ conveys the idea of continuous energy and movement. It is as if the horse might just rise and sweep itself away, only to reappear in another form.
The beads also resemble the structure of an actual cloud, in which tiny water droplets provide the appearance of a solid item and its ephemerality. A cloud hovering gently between earth and sky allows us to contemplate the relationship between nature and culture.