Experience the unseen pulse of screens and contemplate the relationship between humans and machines.
Screens are everywhere—on our televisions, computers and smartphones.
Chok Si Xuan’s HzHz invites viewers to observe minute yet perceptible changes in digital displays by studying polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC), an industrial material found in digital display screens. The artwork’s title references the unit of measurement for frequency, hertz (Hz), which describes the electrical current that passes through the liquid crystals to generate images. HzHz slows the rate at which liquid crystals are refreshed, causing the screens to oscillate between transparent and opaque. The artwork thus highlights the presence and materiality of liquid crystals, typically unseen components that enable display screens to function.
Chok Si Xuan is interested in cybernetics and feedback systems between humans, living organisms and machines. She is curious about how industrial materials shape contemporary society’s understanding of itself. Chok experiments with different materials and methods of production, which reveal the characteristics of industrial materials apart from their intended function. From April to September 2022, Chok was an artist-in-residence at the Singapore Art Museum.
