I Am a Freshwater Clam

I Am a Freshwater Clam is a digital installation rooted in introspection and bodily experience. The work originates from a real surgical encounter—when the artist discovered a stone inside the body, resembling a pearl formed within a clam. This fragile intersection of pain and creation evokes reflection on the interconnectedness of the body, nature, and the cosmos: every wound can become a seed of renewal. Seven mechanical clams float above black vinyl records that spin like cosmic orbits. A silver robotic arm, functioning as a stylus, gently touches each clam. As the audience approaches, sensors awaken the system—the shells open slowly, each clam emitting its unique tone, triggering waves of shifting light and color. When the first and seventh clams open simultaneously, the space is bathed in aurora hues, transforming into a synesthetic symphony of sound, light, and life. Guided by Zhuangzi’s idea that “Heaven, Earth, and I are born together; all things and I are one,” the work embodies an Eastern meditation on unity and transformation. Through technology and poetic sensitivity, it reveals how fragility breeds resilience, and how pain can crystallize into quiet luminosity. “I am a freshwater clam, and the world is a freshwater clam. Together, we sing.” Through the fusion of biomimetic imagery, sound design, and immersive technology, the work dissolves the boundaries between body and cosmos, offering a meditation on inner transformation and the evolution of nature—a perpetual symphony of life, memory, and rebirth.