Kaihao is a visual-based artist, curator and sociology researcher currently based in London and Shanghai.
Luo Kaihao | 罗恺豪
System series is a project that I have been thinking about for a long time. In this first chapter, "Seeds", which is formed around the theme of "Growth", I would like to discuss our feelings about the complex and changing external environment as well as the sincere emotions and strengths within us through this interactive installation.
A seemingly orderly system is gradually collapsing and we are faced with entanglement, fragmentation and countless broken choices. For many people, happiness and hope have been absent for a long time. We have been in negative emotions such as exhaustion, anxiety, fear and loss for a long time, our strength is constantly consumed, and we are so drained of our own energy that we can no longer even respond emotionally to the things that matter. Individual thoughts and actions can hardly change the state of life we find ourselves in. The silence before us is a slow and solitary fading. We become more and more convinced that speaking up is useless. No one knows what tomorrow will bring, we cannot know in advance the inevitable "right" path, the only thing we know is that we all have a common end.
But in such a sad world, I am asking myself, what can we do? Perhaps what each of us can do individually is something insignificant to the 'system', and even if it is limited and does not fundamentally change the problem, it is always worth taking a move. We need to focus on the things that make people miserable, we even need to maintain our anger, but at the same time, we also need to try to hold on to the things that make us want to love life from the bottom of our hearts.
SYSTEM Ⅰ attempts to provide participants with a way to think about their current life situation and emotions by inviting them to interact with the unidirectional, multi-path rolling ball installation.
The balls falling from the top starting point will be distributed through a number of miniature automatic steering engines to different paths. Each path looks different, but is designed to guide the balls to one same destination. All balls are handcrafted from paper clay with seeds stored inside, so the trajectory of each ball will vary based on its own irregularities. The upper part of the installation is connected to a number of 'forks'. Once a seed ball reaches the end of a fork, it will then drop into the soil on the ground. Seed balls that fall into moist soil may sprout within a few days. When a participant turns the knob on the control panel, the operating angle of some steering engines will change, which may affect the ball’s path. Thus, by manipulating these knobs, the participants will provide the possibility to support a ball move into the fork. However, such changes may not be directly reflected in its operating result. The vast majority of the seed balls may still roll toward the given end point.
Such a system implies a society in which we are living and playing our respective roles, while expressing a common destiny that life ends in death. In our social life, when we encounter problems, we may not be able to directly change the way that 'reality' works, but we need to continue to make some attempts through the efforts and voices of many people. The effects of these attempts may be overlooked and may not directly lead to a so-called 'good' or 'correct' outcome. But even if what can be done is limited and only a few things that can be fundamentally changed, it is always worth trying.