Caves have profound connections with human activities, temporality, and symbolism. Caves are the sedimentation of time, preserving evidence of climate change, ancient ecosystems, and the entanglement of myriad beings. As the artist Wenxin Zhang stated, “Caves are the tunnels that allow us to enter deep time.” Water flows through rocks, accumulating memories of life in timeless silence, leaving behind a dark and mysterious space ripe for imagination.
This event brings together two distinct yet converging approaches to exploring caves –Wenxin Zhang will present fieldwork footages of her recent research on Karst Caves, weaving in and out these spaces. She explores temporality as a medium, resonating with the latent space far on the map but synchronized in geological time. Geologist Tanguy Racine will demonstrate how LiDAR and data acquisition techniques enable high-resolution mapping of cave passages, providing detailed insights into the geological settings in which caves form. Together, Zhang and Racine will explore how digital technologies enhance our understanding of caves, while rethinking how imaginative and cultural exploration deepens their geological and symbolic meaning. This multi-dimensional, multi-sensory journey will combine scientific insight with artistic interpretation, offering a richer perspective on the intricate animation and wonder of caves.
The Swissnex network launched in 2024, the Swissnex for the Planet initiative to explore a new form of diplomacy focused on rebalancing human and nonhuman interests on this planet. This event explores Planetary Thinking through Earth, which is one of the Wuxing elements (the five Chinese elements), to learn more about Chinese perspectives on giving a voice to the nonhuman.
Program
18:30-19:00 Registration
19:00-19:10 Welcome Speech
- Cissy Sun, Head of Academia & Arts, Swissnex in China
- Jiamin Cao, Executive Director at Chronus Art Center (CAC)
19:10-19:30 Screening of Wenxin Zhang’s Fieldwork Footage
19:30-20:00 Presentation
- Tanguy Racine, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics, University of Neuchâtel
20:00-20:30 Discussion
20:30-21:00 Networking
Speakers
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Bio
Wenxin Zhang
ArtistWenxin Zhang now lives and works in Hangzhou. She received her MFA from California College of the Arts (2013). She sees herself as a terrain builder. Her work is not to build landscapes and wonders, but to simulate the intricate terrain between human and non-human minds.
She uses images, films, installations and soundscapes to bring forth perceptual journeys that guide the viewer to dive into the strata where mechanical time and magical time intertwine.
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Bio
Tanguy Racine
Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics, University of NeuchâteTanguy Racine is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Hydrogeology and Geothermics, University of Neuchâtel Switzerland since July 2023. His current work involves laser-scanning karst conduits to investigate their hydraulic properties according to their geometry. He was trained as a geologist at Imperial College London, after which he moved to Innsbruck, Austria for a PhD. He worked from 2018 to 2023 as a paleoclimate researcher aiming to unravel the history of cave glaciation in the Austrian Alps during the last 5000 years and, through those studies, understand past winter climate variations.
