A Lava Well of Reflexivity

About The Entry

Beautiful mineral deposits result from geological movements and mineralization processes, with the Earth's crust shaping various colors and patterns over tens of thousands of years. However, human economic activities have continuously introduced waste into the land, creating "new artificial minerals" as these discarded materials are buried and integrated into the soil.

"A Lava Well of Reflexivity," designed as the welcoming installation art for the main hall of the Gold Museum's Geology Pavilion, addresses this environmental impact directly. This installation features a table-like structure resembling a cross-section of a mineral, incorporating slow design principles to reflect the gradual transformations that minerals undergo due to geological movements and the passage of time. The installation reimagines the familiar rough surface and hard crystals of minerals into a temporally fluid image. These images are neither tangible nor eternal, symbolizing how minerals, seemingly unchanging, are actually products of millennia of geological shifts and pressures.

We have embedded artificially created waste—such as plastic bags, PET bottles, and packaging—collected from the mountains of Jinguashi, where the museum is located, into this mineral-shaped table. Using internal rotating lights, the waste within the table creates a slowly moving lava-like image on its surface. This imagery vividly conveys the message that the beauty of our mines and natural landscapes is fragile and requires collective appreciation and preservation.

Through this method of deconstruction and reconstruction, the artwork invites viewers to explore the wonders and grandeur of the earth beneath their feet from a microscopic perspective. More importantly, it prompts reflection on our impact and responsibility toward the natural environment, urging a reconsideration of how we interact with the world around us.

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