Seen/Unseen-Entropy n°2

Seen/Unseen-Entropy n°2 harnesses the astonishing phenomena that occur inside a cloud chamber. Here, the projection allows viewers to observe the reactions taking place in a chamber located elsewhere in the exhibition. In this sealed device filled with supersaturated IPA vapor, the passage of cosmic rays triggers a condensation effect, drawing fine trails of droplets: the visible trace of an otherwise invisible phenomenon.

The projection blurs our perception of scale and space by dissociating the image from the object being filmed. The result is a grainy, vaporous view that evokes both microscopic imagery and drifting clouds. The presence of particles is captured and then converted into sound through a bass shaker placed beneath the projector. These sound vibrations subtly disturb the projected image, causing it to tremble. In Seen/Unseen-Entropy n°2, the particles are both the object (what is being observed) and the subject(what causes the creation). By disturbing the very imagethat reveals them to us, they betray the active force of what comes to us from the distant cosmos.

A cloud chamber consists of a space saturated with IPA vapor, maintained at the verge of condensation through a controlled temperature gradient. Each day, a block of dry ice is placed beneath the structure. It gradually sublimates throughout the day, causing the vapor to become supersaturated. Subject to weather conditions, the cloud chamber will remain active for longer or shorter periods depending on the outside temperature or humidity level. When high-energy particles – known as ionizing particles – pass through this medium, they strip electrons from the molecules they encounter. Around this phenomenon, the vapor condenses into fine droplets, visible as fleeting white trails that dissolve within seconds. Cosmic rays are largely composed of these ionizing particles. Their ephemeral motion draws momentary patterns from distant regions of the universe. They shimmer briefly before fading away, like mysterious signs waiting to be deciphered.

With the support of the National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan.

《Seen/Unseen-Entropy n°2》運用了雲室內部所發生的奇異現象。觀眾透過投影，可以觀看展場另一處雲室中正在發生的反應。在這個充滿過飽和異丙醇蒸氣的密閉裝置中，宇宙射線穿越時會引發凝結現象，形成一道道細微的液滴軌跡，使原本不可見的現象留下可見的痕跡。

投影將影像與被拍攝的物件分離，使我們對尺度與空間的感知變得模糊。畫面呈現出顆粒狀而如霧氣般的質地，既令人聯想到顯微影像，也彷彿漂移的雲層。粒子的出現被攝影機捕捉後，轉換為聲音，透過設置於投影機下方的低頻震動器播放。聲音所產生的振動會輕微擾動投影畫面，使影像隨之顫動。

在《Seen/Unseen-Entropy n°2》中，粒子既是作品的客體——被觀察之物，也是作品的主體——促使創作發生的力量。它們擾動了使自身得以被看見的影像，也由此顯露出來自遙遠宇宙的能量仍在此刻持續作用。

雲室是一個充滿異丙醇蒸氣的空間，透過受控制的溫度梯度，使蒸氣維持在接近凝結的臨界狀態。每天會在裝置下方放置一塊乾冰。乾冰在一天之中逐漸昇華，使異丙醇蒸氣進入過飽和狀態。受到天候條件影響，雲霧室的運作時間會隨外界溫度與濕度而有所增減。

當高能量粒子——亦稱為游離粒子——穿過這個介質時，會使沿途所遇到的分子失去電子。異丙醇蒸氣會沿著粒子的移動路徑凝結成細小液滴，形成短暫可見的白色軌跡，並在數秒內消散。宇宙射線主要由這類游離粒子所構成。它們短暫而飄忽的運動，描繪出源自宇宙遙遠區域的瞬時圖樣；微微閃現後隨即淡去，如同等待被解讀的神祕訊號。

本作品獲臺灣國家文化藝術基金會贊助。