Taipei Travel

This September, ESLITE GALLERY presents HsienYu CHENG Solo Exhibition [.user ], where we see two of his new artworks tap into the experimentation with quantum network technology and browsers. These pieces meld together technology, situation, and interaction, inviting the viewers to engage and rethink the established notions of perception, documentation, and language communication.

Embracing the Enigma Between Visibility and Expression.
This exhibition encompasses the exploration between quantum science, the realm of internet information, and human perception and behavior.

How do you engage with social media? Your behavior on the Internet can have an impact on many aspects of life, as online space is another layer of our social fabric. Through this exhibition, I aim to foster a deeper understanding of the principles, structure, and connectivity of how the Internet operates. This understanding, I believe, is crucial.

# The textual content is compiled from oral accounts and written works of Hsien-Yu CHENG.

As the Internet evolves, daily reliance on computers or mobile devices for online activities has become almost a necessity. I've noticed a homogenization effect, where the information we consume on the Internet has become progressively homogenized, leading to increasingly uniform discussions. To be precise, the information we receive is curated through algorithmic processes. On the expansive digital landscape, e-commerce platforms track our browser usage and website browsing time to strategically deliver ads to capitalize on our buying intentions. Social networks are also evolving. Whether intentional or not, the online experience is gradually becoming more homogenous.

Using the internet communication technology, a phone call to a randomly chosen number in the data will be made. After the call is answered, it will be routed to the same line through this work, creating an anonymous call group. The interlocutors of the call then unknowingly engage in a phone call with each other, both strangers to one another. If the interlocutors are quiet, the work will give audio cues to guide them to talk, and consequently produce a series of conversations, of which the content cannot be predicted. The audience in the exhibition, on the other hand, becomes a third party to observe the conversations through the audio equipment and visualization of the work. Through Annoyanony, the artist unveils deep anxieties over and dialectic about privacy, ethics, and even human subjectivity, when the machine starts performing and mastering everyday human behaviors, such as making a phone call.

Our lives are profoundly entwined with digital information. Human behavior is shaped in response to the constant flow of information updates. People tend to not remember things in their entirety, but remember keywords and use those fragments to piece together their understanding. This concept resonates with the essence of two new works. They allude to how scientists or physicists researching quantum mechanics or quantum network communication theories seek answers by probing the special nature of quantum physics, striving to develop more advanced and holistic approaches for advancing human technological progress. The implications might extend beyond technology to encompass the relations between quantum biology and behavior, or the interactions with the ecosystem.