When I wander through a Suzhou garden, I notice that moss seems like time’s imprint upon space—slowly growing and covering stone surfaces, bearing witness to the passage of seasons. Moss not only carries the sediment of time but also hints at the layered dimensions of space. This “spatio temporal” quality parallels the concept of wave-particle duality: on one hand, moss spreads continuously like a wave; on the other, it freezes in place at certain moments, as though it becomes a particle that merges into the space.
In my installation, I use a magnet attached to a pendulum to represent the wave-like nature of time. As it swings back and forth, the magnet influences iron powder on the surface below—those particles stand in for the “particles” of time. Under the interference of the magnetic field, the powder sometimes clusters, sometimes scatters, producing random, moss-like patterns.
Through repeated interactions between the pendulum and the powder, the installation perpetually “writes” and “rewrites” these moss-like tracings on the surface. The pendulum’s regular motion suggests the orderly flow of time, while each interference creates unexpected, shifting forms, reflecting the irreversible and unpredictable aspects of passing moments. In this way, wave-like continuity and particle-like fixation intertwine, mirroring the spatiotemporal experience of the garden: time flows steadily, yet leaves tangible traces at certain points—just as moss etches itself onto the stone.
This installation presents a “moss of time” for viewers. Every swing rearranges the powder into a singular pattern, echoing how moss grows—slow and enduring, yet also prone to sudden changes. By merging the garden’s sense of time and space with the quantum notion of wave-particle duality, I hope to make people aware that we, too, are traversing a similar temporal dimension. We drift along in the wave of time, yet are simultaneously crystallized into unique “particles” in each moment. It’s precisely this dual awareness—of the uncertainty of time and its visible traces—that connects the “moss marks” in a Suzhou garden with the interference patterns in this installation, offering us fresh insight and reflection on the relationship between time and space.
