Flowing Materiality

Flowing Materiality the circulation of water as both material and metaphor, drawing from Daoist cosmology, ecofeminist theory, and microscopic observations of plant cells. The ceramic sculptures—shaped after tubular cellular structures—embody the ceaseless flow of cytoplasmic and chloroplastic movement, translated into solid yet fluid forms. Glazes diffuse across surfaces like frozen streams, evoking the paradox of stillness and flow.

Integrated with living plants, transparent chambers, and a self-cycling irrigation system, the installation creates a micro-ecosystem where water becomes the medium of connection, exchange, and memory. Purified water nourishes plants, circulates through soil and roots, and returns to ceramic vessels, only to begin again. The sound, sight, and humidity of flowing water invite the audience into this cycle, blurring the boundaries between human bodies and natural waters.

Rooted in Taoist notions of wu wei (non-action) and the unity of heaven and humanity, as well as ecofeminist understandings of embodied “bodies of water,” Flowing Materiality foregrounds the interdependence of matter, time, and life. It is not only an installation but a living process: water as Tao, water as body, water as memory.