Now You See

Now You See is an installation piece consisting of four artifacts: a custom-built enigma machine, several pieces of worn-out paper (including an illustration of the structure of the enigma machine), a 3D-printed object, and a regularly pulsing machine heart. These artifacts are placed in a museum setting regarded as relics of the imaginary city of Leonia. The language used in the artifacts, including the enigma machine and worn-out paper are Leonian language. Apart from that, a technical report on the enigma machine, several promotional materials for the exhibition, including a poster, tickets and a WeChat official account are written and designed to enhance the make-believe experience.

The city of Leonia is depicted in a speculative fiction Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, where people like the new and hate the old, constantly throwing away old things and producing even more products that neither compost nor biodegrade. Although it is an imaginary story, nearly every facet of our lives can be tied to it. Then I pushed the narrative further to create a distance, making it a city which is controlled by the AI they created, where people are self-replicating and constantly doing involuntary things. Even the Leonian language, originally designed for machines to understand, is controlled and regularly renewed by the AI. By showcasing some historical aspects of a civilization, I want the viewers to believe and question the authenticity of the city, and to reflect back on the world we are living in. Is it possible that our world is also framed by other kinds of intelligent creature? How are we, as a collective, unconsciously receiving information and doing things that are designed? Are we putting some tiny thoughts in creating new technology, that will eventually produce larger sufferings and fearful consequences on ourselves?