"Microcosmic Breath" Casphalt 2020 Summer Exhibition

Breathing, a vital sign of pulse, is human’s basic instinct and the source of energy. Meditation, yoga or simply breathing is a way to take a look at one's inner. Yet greed, lust, social disorder and imbalance would interfere with the inherent rhythm, make one suffocated, or even disrupt the path to eternal inner peace.

"Microcosmic Breath" is more than just a curatorial theme; it offers an experience for microcosmic view of air current. Transgressing from external condition to internal reflection, the installation in the gallery space would become a temporary spiritual sanctuary.

Between June and August 2020, two installation works by young artist Echo Hui would be commissioned and set up respectively in Gallery and Studio at Casphalt. These audio-visual video installations capture and visualise the air current movement at a particular space, somewhat like mirage, somewhat reflecting one's mind.

【Call for events/ workshops】
Integrating installation and activity in both spaces, the curation includes happenings amid the video installation. Should you have ideas on event/ workshop, please contact Casphalt.

【Artistic Concept by Echo Hui】
Tile roof leak happens during the hot summer in Casphalt. This phenomenon reminds us of the obvious yet invisible temperature change in this space. I make use of this material characteristic in this space as the starting point to explore the visual phenomenon of temperature difference in our surroundings. For example, Mirage is a daily optical illusion associated with temperature difference. I transform the intangible change in heat and the sound in the air into a visible and audible installation. Those invisible changes and energy in the air, like heat energy and sound energy, is altering our ’seeing’ in an intangible way. Schlieren imaging, a photographic method of visualising the variation in the air current, is employed in the installation. The variation of heat affects how light reflects on the mirror, hence our human eyes are able to observe the invisible heat energy in the space. Audience could interact with the installation while immersing themselves in an illusion through the visualisation of the air current. The movement of the audience and the heat in the space is affecting their visual experience.