Everything G(r)o(w)es
Val Yang
Hong Kong, Maine, Guangzhou, Shanghai, New Jersey, New York—in the span of four years, I had to pack an endless number of boxes, demolish and rebuild all the routines that had promised me security. The interiors I meticulously cultivated are reprogrammed to mold to new environments. The bonds are often so strong that a part of me becomes tethered to the past, and even the photographs feel like relics of obsolete memories. However, I captured a momentary reality that lives beyond a flat image through 3D scanning, and employed microorganisms that are facultative and resilient. Birthed from our bodies and habits, these microorganisms thrive by latching onto new environments for a new life, while serving as remnants of identity in our retired spaces. The data collected allows us to access artifacts of our past, to linger in our familiar spaces as we live through the growth of our bacterial residue-immortalizing our presence within their umwelt.
Everything G(r)o(w)es is a virtual playground designed to hold onto cherished memories. Using image recognition, web3D, and growth algorithms, visitors can scan their living surroundings and cast them into agar on a petri dish where culprits like bacteria and yeast can grow. The unique bacteria strains within the models will continue to thrive and embody the memories of their owners. Once uploaded, the 3D models provide a 360-degree view of the data, even from a microscopic perspective, making it possible to revisit and access the living archive.