Cover

When there is no self, there is no thinking. Our human scale - what we know, we feel, we understand - is an ordinary human life: messy, over-thought, over-designed. But, hey, when we look at life in all its glory, from atoms to stars - life itself is much-much bigger than us and much-much smaller than us - our mind is even not capable to handle it. When we face these scales there is no self, no meaning and no thoughts.

Drop is an essence of life. Drop of rain can give birth to a sleeping seed in the ground, drop of water can revive thirsty, womb drop full of water grows a kid, breast full of milk is the most precious gift of love from a mother to a child, and drop of blood one gives for something is a symbol of deep connection. The planet Earth is a pale blue drop in the darkness of space. Cell drop divides into two drops, and the organism is growing. It is a core philosophy of nature: There is no subject and no object.

The site chosen is not only of unique beauty, but also the place where intense land cultivation is happening. Vast fields of rice, tea and crops are surrounding numerous fish ponds. Human excellence in culture and non-human grandeur of nature are balancing in harmony.

Drops are falling from the sky to the land, giving birth to new life, new ideas. For the artwork, surrounding colorful splendor is more important than the object: it only guides visitors’ perception, not manifestoes itself. Drops reflect dense forests, vast rice fields, gentle pink grasses, shining fish ponds. Drop is a space and scale shifter. Water is transparent and invisible, but it reflects and distorts what is around. It makes everything around appear, disappear or reappear, forgetting original state.

Visitors wander through various tectonics, which represent different scales of the universe, having enchanting reflection, motion and light patterns. From grand to tiny, it is a ceremony of embracing life in all its forms.

Tectonic #1. Bow gate [Planetary scale] A catenary bow carries a swing which could be lifted up with a pulley system. Then Guoxing manor landscapes are wide opening in front of onlooker. How high from the ordinary one should rise to get the essence of things? Solar flexible tiles cover upper arch surface, whilst side channels are used to harvest and clean stormwater.

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The gate changes its appearance in different seasons, when grass changes colours, some ponds dry out, etc.

Tectonic #2. Swing chair [Human body scale] Swing can accomodate a couple. One profile, two sides. Two halves in one unity. Indirect way of seeing each other together with reflective surfaces plays with our understanding of the other. Who are they? Wind is rotating empty chairs due to their special aerodynamic shape and structure, which could perform as blades. This rotation allows to generate enough energy for a tiny lantern inside.

Facades and structure

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Pulsating firefly lights in the chair guide visitors at night.

Tectonic #3. Sphere lantern [Raindrop scale] A field of spherical lanterns creates mesmerizing supernatural landscapes. The whole reflects in a dot, and dot populates the whole. How big our universe is... or how small? Solar rays are concentrated within a lens on a tiny receiver, which gives light back during the night. A flexible core, which carries the lantern, gently vibrates and activates an underground piezoelectric generator.

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Artificial and agricultural fields in dialogue.

Tectonic #4. Pond periscope [Cell scale] A periscope dives into a fish pond and shows underwater life for the visitors’ pleasure. When hidden becomes visible, there is a new horizon for our perception. Where is the boundary between inside and outside laying? The periscope helps to look after the aquaculture and take better care of grown species, whilst an oxygen pipe ensures better water aeration.

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Aerial view