10 Questions with Black Void

Black Void is an art and science collective founded and directed by Yixuan Cai in partnership with Stella Miao and Yuhan Xiao, as well as Hong Yun and more members from various fields, including architecture, digital art, data science, algorithm, and experimental music. Their artistic endeavors center around the hybrid ecology, interwoven by nature and technologies. Through new technologies (AI, blockchain, and intelligent manufacturing), they explore themes including "cloud," "carbon," "blockchain," and "future species," all manifesting as transmaterial entities existing across physical and digital realms. Their representative works "Twin Cloud" and "Biosphere 3" have been exhibited at various venues such as Venetian Arsenal, the 14th National Art Exhibition (China), The Guardian Art Center, Power Station of Art, and more. They won first place in PacificVis 2023 Visual Data Storytelling and have been featured in a documentary produced by China Media Group. Past brand collaborations include L'Oréal, Tencent SSV, Audi, Genesis Motor, and etc.

www.blackvoid.xyz

ARTIST STATEMENT

"The entanglement of technology and nature has forged a new hybrid ecology, where sunlight, water, wind, clouds, software systems, data, and infrastructure intertwine. New life forms born upon this environment—such as artificial intelligence and bitcoin—are challenging our definitions of life and existence, while decentralized networks are expanding "me" across countless nodes in the cloud. Here, the meanings of life, energy, and ecology are undergoing revolutionary transformations. From pixels to planets, from Earth's atmosphere to Martian landscapes, our journey traverses scales, time, space, and sensory experiences."

— Black Void

INTERVIEW

How did the founding members of Black Void come together, and what inspired the creation of this collective?

We (Yixuan Cai, Yuhan Xiao, and Hong Yun) came together in late 2022 for art projects "Twin Cloud" and "Biosphere 3", to create digital art experience that revolutionize the way art and digital nature is created, distributed and associated with our audience. Stella Miao joined us as manager later on to help build the collaboration between artists' creative endeavors and cutting-edge technology companies, as we believe that art is propelled by the latest technologies and scientific discoveries. We soon gathered a group of like-minded creative persons, including Joanna Wang, and more from data science, algorithm, architecture, and interaction design background, as a larger network of collaborators.

Can you share the story behind the name "Black Void" and how it reflects the mission of your collective?

"We are not defined by the air we breathe, but how we carry ourselves at the lip of void." Black Void means to carry ourselves with beliefs in the world of unknown and unlimited possibilities.
The team was founded in late 2022, amid two years of pandemic battling the virus, worsening extreme weather, and an economy stagnant after the bubble burst. At the time, I felt as if I were in a fragmented ecosystem while technological breakthroughs like blockchain and AI surged like a torrent. In this broken world, we are reconstructing meaning. Thus, Black Void's work focuses on "hybrid ecologies," a landscape co-created by nature and technological artifacts, where clouds, light, carbon, and digital infrastructure intertwine to redefine ecology, life, and existence.

With members from diverse fields like architecture, digital art, and data science, how do your varied backgrounds influence your work as a collective?

Our working method as a group is shaped by the convergence of various disciplines. Ecological issues are often overlooked due to their vast scale and existence beyond our sensory perception. We specialize in uncovering the information behind ecological data, interpreting hidden ecological events, and expressing them through digital means (such as generative art, immersive experience, and installation), bridging the gap between large-scale ecological phenomena and individual perception. We also use speculative design to hypothesize and explore future ecological crises. Additionally, we create physical counterparts to digital nature through 3D printing and sustainable materials.
This process naturally integrates multiple disciplines, including new media art, data science, algorithms, and architecture/design. Our diverse disciplinary background also facilitates collaborations with research institutions (databases), sustainable materials labs, and other organizations, where cutting-edge scientific discoveries inspire our art.

How do you approach collaboration within the collective, especially when integrating different disciplines like experimental music and AI?

The primary media we combine are interactive media art, design (parametric design/architectural installations), and data science.
Sound plays a central role in the work of Twin Cloud. Since Twin Cloud is a piece of climate data-driven generative art, we designed a relationship between atmospheric chemicals and musical modules in the data mapping process. Each city cloud produces a unique sound reverberation based on the different chemicals it contains. For example, we can hear the metallic and strict reverberations from greenhouse gas-heavy Tokyo, while the Amazon rainforest, rich in organic plant volatiles, emits a mystical and ethereal sound.
AI is mainly used in Biosphere 3, where we are creating a pseudo-documentary from a future archaeological perspective, telling the story of Martian fungi. The video involves the use of AI-generated imagery, and the work is still in progress.

Can you describe the process of developing one of your key works, like "Twin Cloud" or "Biosphere 3," from concept to completion?

Twin Cloud originates from the observation that clouds are a reflection of the ground. Whether it's volcanic eruptions or emissions from industrial production, they all end up as aerosol particles in the clouds. This led us to ponder whether it's possible to depict the ground activities by depicting the clouds and whether we can collect the carbon scattered into the sky by gathering digital clouds. We first sourced meteorological and atmospheric chemical data from 300 cities globally, using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts database. After analyzing and comparing the data bothvertically and horizontally for 300 cities in past seven years, we used algorithms to generate digital cloud sculptures unique to each city. Subsequently, we collaborated extensively with numerous sustainable businesses and projects with on-chain carbon credits, linking the digital cloud sculptures to carbon credits. Using installations made from solid carbon dioxide, we aim to return the carbon to the Earth.
Biosphere 3 stems from the hypothetical question: "If fungi were to first arrive on Mars before humans, how would they survive?" We then conducted comparative studies of Earth's and Mars' climate characteristics and researched fungal responses to various extreme environmental conditions such as freezing temperatures, water scarcity, and oxygen deficiency. We also reference the Astromycology project funded by NASA, which aims to select microbiomes for creating healthy soil matrices enabling life-support biospheres in the exploration of Space. Based on this, we speculate three forms of mutated fungi on Mars. One type of mushroom consumes cosmic radiation, adjusting the distribution of pigments on its surface to control radiation absorption. Another type ejects crystal-like spores, reflecting a metabolic shift from carbon-based mushrooms to silicon-based ones. The third type of mushroom possesses numerous tendrils that can conduct electricity through mycelial networks, enabling communication. The fictional design of Martian fungi is reflected in the parametric design of the mushrooms. These interstellar species are 3D-printed into tangible sculptures, with lighting effects in the sculptures also evoking the psychedelic and apocalyptic colors of space fungi.
Our project is driven by our ecological observation. Data, digital technology, and new sustainable materials will support the realization of our project.

Hybrid ecology is a central theme in your work. How do you balance the relationship between technology and nature in your projects?

When discussing technology and nature, it is important to distinguish between the concepts of 'nature' and 'ecology.'When the first satellite, Sputnik, was successfully launched, Marshall McLuhan remarked that 'nature ended, and ecology was born' because space technology allowed us to view the Earth from the outside. The Earth, once a mysterious object of wonder, became 'completely enclosed within a man-made container,' like a piece of art that can be observed, dissected, and calculated through the perspective of satellites.
On the other hand, despite attempts by weather satellites, AI models, and various weather control technologies to regulate unpredictable weather, we are still affected by storms and increasingly severe extreme weather. Nature remains complex, mysterious, and beyond the boundaries of human knowledge.
When we use technological means in our creations, we often move between the awe-inspiring and unknowable 'nature'and the 'ecological' perspective that seeks control, precision, and simulation. This tension represents the ongoing confrontation between artistic and humanistic perspectives and the ever-evolving dialogue between science and technology.

Twin Cloud, Exhibition View © Black Void

How do you choose the specific technologies, such as AI or blockchain, to explore in each of your pieces?

We choose the technology that suits the concept of the artwork.

How do you ensure that your work remains accessible and engaging to a broad audience despite its complex themes and use of cutting-edge technology?

I believe the interaction with the audience depends on a well-curated presentation experience. 'Twin Cloud' is presented in various forms, including an immersive experience, a cloud atlas installation, and 999 cloud NFTs of different cities. When the piece reaches different cities, it customizes a digital cloud specific to that city, along with data interpretations, allowing people to see the city's climate changes over the past seven years.
The 'Biosphere 3', on the other hand, combines interpretive fictional video with 3D-printed sculptures. The mushroom sculptures reflect the unique textures generated through the technology, while the flickering lights cast an apocalyptic, psychedelic atmosphere over the piece.

Are there any upcoming projects or themes that Black Void is excited to explore in the near future?

Our next project will focus on 'carbon.' I have just concluded an interdisciplinary dialogue and publication project titled 'Post-Carbon: Carbon as Energy, Life Substances and Currency,' which brings together numerous artists, designers, scientists, ESG leaders from sustainable businesses, and urban planners from both China and abroad. The project explores topics such as Shenzhen's coastal blue carbon, the digital form of carbon, green carbon, and urban metabolism. In addition, I have visited locations such as Shenzhen's mangrove conservation areas and Qinghai's photovoltaic power plants. These dialogues, site visits, and writings have laid a solid research foundation for the creation of our next work.
We are currently in discussions with universities and companies involved in carbon capture technology, exploring how new materials derived from carbon-rich gases can be used. Additionally, we also collaborate with carbon databases to understand from the data perspective that the "post-carbon future" is different for each city and regions, due to different fossil fuel history and development routes.

Lastly, how do you see the evolution of your collective's work as new technologies and environmental concerns emerge?

Our work is always closely tied to current ecological issues and scientific discoveries. We draw inspiration from the latest ecological events and engage in dialogue with cutting-edge ecological governance institutions or scientific organizations (databases). At the same time, some themes remain constant, such as the discussion of the ethical relationship between humans and nature. We will select the most suitable technologies for our artworks accordingly.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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