Energy of Things 2016

About This Project

Every object around us is made from substances, for example, wooden chairs, glass windows, cotton shirts, etc. These seemly static objects in fact possess energy, which we do not normally realize that it exists. Though we cannot see it. Energy is the origin of the cosmos, and it is also what objects become when they annihilate. Scientists also see the energy as a form of information. In this work, we make this energy and its dynamics visualizable by controlling the conduction of heat and its interaction with the thermochromatic paint.

A simple circle has various meaning and interpretation across different cultures or religions. The visual form of this work starts from a simple point origin, which then expands into a circle of many layers. Time becomes an essential element of the symbology. From the center of the painting, the heat spreads out to the edges through conduction. The spectral change of the thermochromatic material due to the heat flow demonstrates the materiality of energy, which renders an otherwise ordinary picture into an ever-changing dynamic painting.

Art Direction:  Ivan Chen-Hsiu Liu
Electronics: I-Ting Sun
Material Experimentation: Yun-Wu Lee