Like a game of interpreting the messages of this world, “Microscopic City” series delves into the micro- and nano-scaled field, surpassing the limits within the human conceptions of time and space with the advancement of technological measurements. The Moon Landing in the 1960s brought men to the universe in search of new life, further bringing to mind that the earth is very likely to be nano-scaled compared to the universe, yet it is capable of holding abundant species and various exchanges of energy. “Microscopic City” gives purposes to fragments of metal, wood, or plastic, stimulating the audiences’ sensations with the “landscapes” within the fragments.
The name “Microscopic City” comes from nanoscopic image developing technology and the associations made with the images produced by the technology. “Micro” indicates the technology of “Scanning Electron Microscope”(SEM) that uses electronic signal sources to replace the use of light reflections in traditional optical microscopes, allowing images of minisculed materials to be examined on a micron- and nanoscale-level.
Our team produced 1 cubic centimetered samples of materials collected along the paths of city ranging across stones, wood, plastic, and metal. The samples were scanned with SEM, producing images that resembled cities or lost civilizations that were hidden underground or underseas, inspiring us to structure a landscape using elements found in a city. The structuring of landscapes used not only images of the scanned samples, but also collaborated with equipment units providing “Dual Beam FIB”, a technology widely used in advanced materials research industries, using electron beams and ion beams to conduct image observation and material processing on a nanoscopic scale, imprinting a certain symbol on the samples as an indication of an unknown civilization’s enigma for the audiences. In light of resource depletion issues due to modern exploitation, the images produced by the technology paralleled a postmodern world without the presence of humans, and the production team wanted to reflect upon the concept of a “city”. “City” represents aspects of development, technological advancement, prosperity, the main source of people’s perceptions of spacial dimensions, and the coming together of various structures. People’s techniques of tool-using improves by day, hence actions are capable of transcending beyond time and space. Through the lens of technology, we can reconsider the future possibilities of the living landscapes for human civilizations.
