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Being Transducer Exhibition
This exhibit was on view October 1–26.
Pace University Art Gallery is pleased to present Being Transducer, the first solo exhibition in New York by the Synphysica, Chiaochi Chou and Youyang Hu. This exhibit builds on the duo’s ongoing exploration of a "bio-Internet of Things," expanding upon philosopher Timothy Morton's object-oriented ecological perspective.
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. The exhibit opens with a reception on Tuesday, October 1 from 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
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.”
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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.
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This exhibit, which remains on view through Saturday, October 26, 2024, is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. To create the work on view, the artists have received further collaboration from the National Tsinghua University Chiao-Wei Li Laboratory, the University of Tokyo Yasuaki Kakehi Laboratory, Columbia University Uriarte Lab, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York (TECO), the Asian Cultural Council (ACC), Brooklyn Artists Studio (BAS), and Project Fulfill Art Space as well as sponsorship from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the National Tsinghua University and Crystal Park in New York.
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.