Helena Wee

The Subalterned Shan Shui




Chinese “Shan Shui” or “Mountain, Water” paintings depict natural landscapes referencing Taoist concepts. China's landscape is changing. Technological advances are powered mostly by coal produced electricity. Bitcoin mining is prevalent in China using vast amounts of cheap electricty. The Three Gorges Dam, built in an area of outstanding natural beauty, produces hydroelectric power but has resulted in more landslides in the area.

Dao is the formless founding the perfection of all things, including technical objects. Qi is the support of Dao, allowing its' manifestation in sensible forms. Qi and Dao combine producing sacred harmony. As an elemental form within string theory, the Calabai-Yau manifold serves as an analogy for the flowering of Qi and Dao in balance with a moral cosmotechics. But what should this balance look like, and at what cost?