P.each Peach: Materializing Immortality Desire through Data-Driven Sculptures

Authors

Yihan Wang ( Royal College of Art), Yixiong Wang (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)), Jia-Qi Shi (The Hongkong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou))

Presentation

Session

VISAP Paper 1

Time

Wednesday, Nov 11, 08:00 – 08:12 (US/Eastern) · session 08:00 – 09:30

Location

Hall Essex south

Keywords

Data Materialization; Speculative Sculpture; Immortality; 3D printing; Mythology; Interactive Installation

Abstract

P.each Peach is a critical and speculative data-driven sculptural installation. Drawing on the immortal peach, a Chinese mythological symbol associated with longevity and immortality, the work uses Google Trends search interest data from 2005 to 2024 related to “immortality” as proxy traces of public attention, mapping them onto temperature and duration parameters for thermal processing. 3D-printed peach forms undergo deformation during heating and are subsequently scanned, reconstructed, and reprinted to form an annual sculptural series, which is further extended into an interactive generative system based on individual conceptions of life. By translating social “heat” into physical heat, the work frames platform-mediated public attention as a material force that shapes the body of the peach. It aims to reveal potential transformations in form and meaning that occur as life is technologically extended and reproduced, while provoking reflection on life preservation, technological desire, and the finitude of death.