Yuchen Huang (Kimberley)

"SOIL-TRACK-SYMBIOSIS"

Section MS5, Joshua Woolford

Keywords: performance, video, nature

SOIL-TRACK-SYMBIOSIS explores the coexistence of humans and the environment, reflecting on the relationship between industry and ecology. It positions the human body as an active participant in reconstructing industrial ruins and connecting with nature, and through the visual effect of the coexistence of these three, (human-industry-nature) the possibility of coexistence is presented. The topic is derived from my studio research on environmental issues and current situations in Alentejo, Portugal, aiming to further explore the dynamic relationship between the environment and human beings.

Through the action of humans returning to nature, such as digging soil and scattering fallen leaves for nourishment - interwoven with the collective movement of humans in the subway space - this narrative establishes the implicit connection between the natural texture and the artificial environment. It breaks the perception of the mutual separation of nature and industrial space, instead presenting the process where humans act as a medium, extracting symbiotic energy from nature and implicitly bringing ecological consciousness into the artificial domain. At the same time, it questions the inherent belief that human activities only serve their own needs, and instead emphasises that the daily actions of humans inherently contain the potential to restore ecological connections and bridge the boundaries between nature and the artificial realm.