Tsingyun Zhang is an interdisciplinary artist and designer based in Berlin Germany. Zhang leverages digital media as a means to observe and navigate the rapidly evolving technological landscape, allowing her to develop a personalized perspective of her surroundings. She seeks to merge technological advancements with physical qualities to trigger a digital sensuality.

A Digital Ode to Decay

"A Digital Ode to Decay" explores physical and digital decay. The artist views decay as a transformative process that accelerates reincarnation rather than a mere gradual loss of information. The project is created with the intention of respecting and learning from non-human intelligence, including fungi, plants, and animals. Furthermore, it also aims to embrace the normally undesirable aspects of technology.

Decay of organic matter occurs through the action of bacteria and fungi, leading to rot. Fermentation is rot's cultured twin which produces chemical changes in organic substances through the action of domestic mold. It is a collaboration between humans and microbes. A taste of milk shared by humans and bacteria led to the creation of cheese. Some domestic molds knit the beans into tempeh.

In this delicious collaboration, food gets preserved longer and also allows the birth of something new.

Sound: Dennis Scheiba
Voice: Echo Ho
Film: Tsingyun Zhang