LEE Yung-Chih

2022，misting system, greenhouse frame, plastic sheet

The phenomenon of “Lak Tshat” (or literally “peeling paint” in Taiwanese) that occurs naturally is examined from a materials science perspective, adapting the method of salt spray test used in industrial weatherproof testing. A greenhouse is constructed using gardening tools and supplies, where “Rust Lingzhi” (Lingzhi, Ganoderma lucidum, also known as reishi, is a polypore fungus) is artificially cultivated. How the patterns on exhausted materials can be “bestowed” with meaning is explored, reflecting on the kind of hesitation that one may have in instances such as tossing away a protective phone case after it has been used for a long time. While testing the composite materials on manufactured protective products, the formation of vivid patterns of rust is also accelerated at the same time. The contradiction and paradox observed between the two reflect the shifting sentiments that sway between compromise and giving up when confronted with memories connected to imprints and marks.

Creative＆Scientific Collaborator - SONG Chia Yun 靜態攝影：顏楷倫

 ． Lak Tshat Greenhouse - Site-Specific
2022，misting system, painted steel piece, iron plate, peeling paint sheet

A misting system is installed according to the exhibition space, with polymer coated iron sheets suspended below, or other common coated objects. The objective is to test how humidity can be controlled inside an enclosed yet also relatively open space. Moreover, without interfering with the viewing experience and also without causing people to slip and fall, humidity is added to speed up the corrosion process on the metal and for rust marks to manifest and change throughout the short period of the exhibition. The rust that then drips down due to the force of gravity then becomes a carrier that proves the accrual of time.

． Collecting of Rust Liquid
2022， white glue, rust, table salt

As its level of moisture changes, white glue would go from white to clear, which allows it to acquire a “concealed” quality, and after it has dried, it would take on a skin-like consistency. Often applied as an intermediary medium adhered to something that is used and then thrown away, it is utilized in this project to collect the leftover rusty liquid in the “Lak Tshat Greenhouse”. First of all, the rusty liquid is the result of running a salt misting system continuously for hundreds of hours, with the process transformed into a work of art to be exhibited and “imprints” of specific points in time justifiably showcased. Secondly, the rusty liquid oozing out of the metal part of the misting system is collected on-site, and in addition to being a dynamic way of capturing the continuous accrual of time, it also serves as a form of “guarantee” to the C-LAB management, promising to “restore” the venue back to its original conditions at the end of the exhibition, which happens to be exactly what this artwork is doing.