At the intersection of art, science and technology
“I am very interested in complex system research,” says Lam. In her recent art installation Emergence, she uses a large number of swarming objects to mimic the emergent behavior of dynamic, self-organizing systems in nature, such as flocking of birds and schooling of fishes.“I used real-time climate data in Hong Kong to create local disturbance to the system. Each individual observes the local environmental condition and the behavior of its neighbors to regulate its own reaction. Such a complex system would collectively give rise to coherent patterns, or emergent properties, that are not previously observed in individual components,” says Lam. This artwork has been exhibited at the New Vision Arts Festival 2012 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
“My another art project Turing’s Decipherment of Nature Codes is a tribute to Alan Turing for his groundbreaking and counterintuitive idea of using Reaction-Diffusion systems to explain the complex mechanism of pattern formation in nature,” says Lam. “His model not only explains millions of amazing patterns in nature, but also has significant implications for developmental biology, regenerative medicine and complex system research.” Dr Lam has developed a set of computer programs to simulate the Reaction-Diffusion systems that resemble patterns in nature.
Her telematic art project Streaming Nature connects audience to the live nature. It relocates the live sounds cape from a number of remote locations, including Antarctica, Pacific Ocean and South Africa, to the phone network. “This piece is a live relocation of sound from nature to where nature does not exist,” says Lam. Viewers are invited to make local phone calls using their own cell phones to listen to the live sound at these nature sites.
Lam’s latest art installation Play to Pay uses RFID technology and embedded system to convey the message of give-and-take to young audience. This work will be exhibited in the Intelligence Infinity Exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum during May 19 – Sept 20, 2013.
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