shih chieh huang turns plastic waste into ocean-like robotic creatures

taiwanese artist shih chieh huang makes art from unlikely objects, using garbage bags, plastic bottles and computer fans to create ocean-like robotic sculptures. suspended from the ceiling, his motorized creations inflate and deflate as they light up the room in primary hues at once both futuristic and prehistoric in their presence. for his latest exhibition ‘incubate’ on view at the feldman gallery through april 13, huang has created a kinetic sculptural installation of his other worldly pieces.

images courtesy of feldman gallery

shih chieh huang developed an attachment to unexpected materials when he was younger. he recalls creating circular toy systems out of plastic tubing and diluted ink from highlighter pens for people to walk through. fast forward a few years and his love of creating environments had seen him develop and occupation for modifying household objects and making devices that used body parts to work.

during a research fellowship in 2007, his thoughts turned to science and biology. looking at bio luminous organisms from the ocean and the way they use light in their environment inspired his practice. he thought about the way his sculptures could mimic these movements, gathering various different materials and experimenting to see what kinds of creatures he could create.

‘from afar they look alien-like but when you look closer they are all made out of black garbage bags or tupperware containers‘, the artist explains. ‘I like to share with you how normal things can become magical and wonderous.‘

chieh huang’s first one-person exhibition transforms the gallery space into a hallucinatory environment of light, sound, and electronic machinery. hanging from the gallery ceiling, motorized sculptures, in the form of delicate tentacles and fabricated from plastic bags, light up and change colors as they inflate and deflate, seemingly to take on a life of their own.

computer cooling fans generate movement, and the circuit breaker that controls the movement of the sculptures is also on display. other kinetic works are attached to the wall, and creatures comprised of medical tubing with glowing liquid are strung around the gallery between the columns. the highly orchestrated rhythmic inflation and deflation of the multiple plastic appendages – simultaneously rising, falling, expanding, and contracting – create a meditative breathing room.