The Engine of Other Imaginations

The Engine of Other Imaginations reflects our interconnected transformations in nature, and the way we evolve alongside our “contaminated” ecologies. This 4-meter tall installation is made of three elements: A large flint rock that has been infused with resin and carved with textures of coral skeletons; a brass mobile with smaller stones revolving around the large flint rock; and a series of interlocking canvas shapes.

The installation features half-natural, half-artificial stones that bear imprints of coral skeletons found in the Philippines. Additionally, the fabric shapes are faint echoes of various underwater flora and fauna. This work is a reflection of my fifteen years as a scuba diver and witness to our contaminated underwater ecologies. Every year, the tide sweeps in drifting pollution from the wider ocean, which tangles and settles onto coral reefs. Over the years, I have observed how this harmful contamination becomes difficult to extract without harming the coral and wildlife that has grown over it. I see the ecosystem shifting and adapting, as if refusing to yield to death. Coral reefs become a natural-artificial entity, and live on nonetheless.

The stones, whose textures are now altered by resins, were inked and pressed onto the fabric to create patterns. These stone imprints guide the ebb and flow of additional calligraphy strokes. This act of imprinting natural-synthetic material can be interpreted as creation, contamination, or evolution. This work not only acknowledges how our underwater ecologies have been permanently transformed by human actions, but also asserts our ability to transform through it together—a shared evolution in response to this rapidly changing world.