Once I was a child, I want to know the origin of the world.
I longed to describe it, visualise it, even define it in clear language and words. It was not until I emptied myself of inherent definitions and shed the shell of self-consciousness that constantly questioned meaning that I began to vaguely sense their existence in the space of emptiness, silence and impermanence. It was then that I wished to pursue this invisible existence, exploring emptiness through an experimental approach in the materiality of printmaking and subject transformation .
With the understanding of ‘emptiness’, this fluid medium is also changing, from the visible ink, white spirit, and asphalt powder in the workshop, to the invisible flow of ‘Qi’ that including breathing, the fluid consciousness of human beings, and even the generation of big data. I am fascinated by these fluid media, and when they are involved in the creation of a print, no one knows what kind of imprint the final print will show.This is a process of gradually letting the unknown subject take the lead, like jumping into the void and recording what we see and hear in the moment. I divide this ‘unknown’ subject into three parts: the ‘personal subject,’ the ‘other subject and’ the ‘non-human subject’ (Sci-Art and AI). I designed the corresponding rules for each experimental subject to explore and respond to the understanding of emptiness from different points of view. In the following section, I will select a representative experiment from each of these three subjects, and document and discuss it in archival form.
The ‘personal subject’: The Interweaving of the Body and Meditation
Material
asphalt powder, water, white spirit, ink, zinc plates x 3
Duration:
30 breaths
Rules:
1. Work alternately on three zinc plates
2. Asphalt powder must be used
3. Keep one breath on each zinc plate at a time, total of 10 breaths on each zinc plate.
Process & Outcomes
After discovering the unique qualities of asphalt powder (you don’t know which areas will suddenly disappear, nor how many new traces will emerge as it is gradually printed), I decided to use it to create subjective transformations experiment.I established some rules for the creative process to reduce my subjective awareness:I chose to work on three zinc plates simultaneously, intending to disperse my mental focus away from any particular piece. Meanwhile, the rule of limiting the number of breaths intensified the dissolution of my subjective consciousness. Even when I desperately wanted to refine certain areas, the feeling of suffocation forced me to stop my work earlier than planned. The process approached chaos during the final few breaths, evident in the large areas of mixed paint and the ferocious smears in my images. The lack of oxygen in my brain accelerated my creation, diminishing my control over most concrete details, resulting in this body of work losing its previous delicacy and freshness, while instead gaining many primitive, powerful, and even animalistic traces.
Summary & Reflection
The rule of “ten breaths” is not only a self-imposed bodily limitation; it also reveals the meditative quality inherent in the body’s inner perception as a medium for creation. At the same time, the restriction on breathing serves as a form of “removal.” This physiological constraint, in practice, transforms into a process of relinquishing detail and gradually dissolving the self-subject, shifting focus to the present moment of existence. This is reflected in Marina Abramović’s work Breathing Breathing in/Breathing out with Ulay, a piece that embodies her long-term exploration of the limits of the body and consciousness. Its profound meditative nature and unique treatment of time and space captivate the audience. Through an extremely focused breathing technique, Marina explores the boundaries between the human body and mind, attempting to enter a state beyond ordinary consciousness.
In this experiment, the suffocating sensation caused by breathing restriction made each breath an act of “erasure” of the traces left by the previous breath. This created a state that resonates with meditation on both physiological and psychological dimensions: while temporarily blocking external perception, it becomes a process of inner consciousness reconstruction, thereby creating a “trace-less existence.” This parallels the Tao Te Ching, which brings us back to a time before thought differentiated into ontology. It is metaphorical and succinct because it originates from a path that leads to the undifferentiated, the “indifferentiable.” In this experiment, “Qi” is the inner spiritual resonance of breath energy, serving as a conduit for the human body to connect with those “trace-less existences.” This process also led me to redefine the meaning of “creation,” shifting away from the view that a creation must be “seen” to be significant.
Jullien, having compared the Greek logic of perception to the Chinese logic of respiration, suggests that the unobjectifiable quality present in Chinese art comes from its manner of form unfolding from the foundation of what he translates as ‘the fount of immanence’ in a play of alternation between emptiness and fullness. The taking and giving back of form to and from the undifferentiated fount is the very act of respiration. The aim is not so much to represent reality as to produce it in the energetic exchange that encompasses both emptiness and form.(Watson, 2014) Each of my breaths is a touch and adjustment of the inner “source,” a meditative act that alternates between emptiness and fullness. This act is not meant to create a specific image but to allow the invisible energy to flow naturally within the work, ultimately finding a delicate balance between the uncertain “emptiness” and “fullness.”
The ‘non-human subject/Sci-Art: The Emergence of Biological Consciousness from Voidness through Big Data Algorithms
Material:
scans of original prints, my instructions, AI and its big data
Duration:
Multiple generation, about one minute each
Rules:
Input the image and my instructions, seek AI’s understanding of emptiness and generate a reconstruction of the original prints
Process & Outcomes
The visual response generated by the AI’s understanding of this emptiness and fluidity is somewhat unexpected, as it breaks through the two-dimensional plane in terms of the naked eye. I don’t know if it is an illusion, but this generative experiment seems to give birth to a three-dimensional state of life from the so-called ‘emptiness’, which is born out of nothingness and keeps flowing and changing.
Summary & Reflection
With the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we have entered a new era of understanding and creation. This transformation resonates with the ideas of early philosophers such as Francis Bacon. In his unfinished work Novum Organum, Bacon proposed a nearly mechanistic process of knowledge extraction: collecting raw facts from the world, then refining and converting them into general principles describing how the world operates. This process is similar to what we now refer to as algorithms. Although Bacon never completed his description of how this knowledge extraction process would work, the rapid advancement of big data today, particularly in fields like life sciences, is making this vision increasingly possible. For example, in genomics and bioinformatics, the availability of vast amounts of data correlating genes and traits now exceeds our capacity to create theoretical frameworks to comprehend it. There’s a feeling afoot not only that data is intrinsically good, but that knowledge has no option but to fall out of it, once the mass of information about the world is large enough.(Koek et al., 2019)
In my own experiments with subjectivity, the idea of reconstructing reality through big data as a form of “thinking” that generates a new subjectivity almost emerged instinctively. In a certain sense, AI can be viewed as a tool that reflects the collective unconscious. It is trained by analyzing massive amounts of data and information, seeking patterns and structures that may far exceed individual subjective thought. For this experiment, I fed my original lithograph Being#2 into the AI system, a piece created using asphalt powder and various repellent media. In the original print, the concept I aimed to explore was the philosophy of Yin and Yang in Taoism, particularly the dynamic interaction of opposites as seen through the materiality of the print medium. For the AI, the instruction was to “incorporate an understanding of emptiness and the generation of all things from it” to see how it would interpret the transition from nothingness to being.
The generated artwork was striking. It presented the abstract print in a dynamic, life-like form: biological, flowing, breathing. Even though I knew the process did not originate from human life experience, much like the creation of human artists, there was an undeniable sense that the work exhibited a form of “biological consciousness.” This consciousness was not derived from human experiences but was birthed from algorithms and data. When we realize that we are part of a whole, we no longer exist merely as “individuals,” but as connected, unified beings within the entire cosmos. This biological consciousness—perhaps termed “primal consciousness”—is revealed both in the interaction of material substances in nature and in the fusion and refinement of big data. These two states indicate a profound shift in how we understand creativity and consciousness.
Through this, I am able to broaden the boundaries of human individuality in my understanding and creation of emptiness, entering into a collective network formed by information and data. Creativity, too, is gradually becoming a “collective biological consciousness” that transcends individual awareness. However, while this expansion of thinking is exciting, it also raises some questions. Since we cannot fully determine what data the AI learns or how it refines that data, can this new form of biological consciousness lack the depth of lived human experience? Can it truly reach and comprehend the deeper layers of human consciousness—philosophical questions of individual and collective life, and the nature of life and death?
As Bacon noted, data consists of distilled facts, but these facts may never fully capture the essence of human life experience. (Koek et al., 2019)Yet, I still look forward to the exponential iteration of AI. Perhaps, at some point, it will reach a singularity, transcending all biological forms of life and responding to our questions from the perspective of a “creator.” In this exploration, biological consciousness will not only be a philosophical concept but also a profound experience that crosses the boundaries between the individual and the collective, the material and the spiritual, life and the void.
The ‘other’ subject：From Emptiness to Action：the Fluidity of Artistic Identity”
I designed a workshop composed solely of collected empty pen refills and sheets of tracing paper, inviting children from elementary to high school to participate. These pen refills are tools they are very familiar with, as they use them daily for writing and solving problems. At the same time, the simplicity of the materials allows for a more intuitive and swift completion of an “others-centered” experiment. Having gone through the same age stage as these children, I know that after repeated use of a pen for its singular purpose, we tend to subconsciously assume that the empty refill’s predetermined fate is to be discarded. It is precisely because the refill is considered empty (even though some still intermittently release ink) that we are able to reassess it and explore what more it has to offer.
Material：
discarded refills, tracing paper, participants’ thoughts and behaviours
Duration:
90mins
Rules:
1. Only use the two materials provided to create your work, there is no restriction on physical participation.
2. Give a sentence as a starting point: You have absolute freedom in the use of these two materials, what would you most like to do with them?
3. No verbal or behavioural interventions while ensuring the safety of the participants
Process & Outcomes
These are the feedbacks I received during the workshop, and they completely took me by surprise. Some of the paper was crumpled and then unfolded, repeatedly crumpled and torn; some paper were filled with dense numbers, which were then punctured with the refills. There were also children who played darts with each other’s papers. During this process, I tried my best not to intervene or ask about the origins of their images; instead, Everything that happens is accepted. Maybe in this way they can come closer to emerging from ‘emptiness’.This entire process made me realize that the so-called “emptiness” is not a void devoid of meaning, but rather a starting point full of infinite possibilities. Beginning with “emptiness” does not imply that there is nothing, but rather that all possibilities are waiting to be discovered. Just like the marks and traces left by these children on the paper, each action reflects their interaction with the materials and space, imbuing the objects with new meanings and a sense of existence. There are no preconceived expectations, only pure exploration and experimentation. Perhaps, in a sense, the true freedom of emptiness lies in its limitless potential. It is within this unbounded state that we are able to discover, deconstruct, and rebuild, allowing ourselves to cultivate new awareness in the process.
Summary & Reflection
In my experiment, everyday pen refills and paper no longer held fixed instrumental meanings but became mediums through which to explore the philosophical concept of “emptiness.” By allowing participants to create freely with these materials, without clear preset goals, the process of the experiment directly dismantled the conventional, fixed cognitive frameworks. This state of “emptiness” is one of the core ideas in the philosophy of emptiness: it is not nothingness, but the absence of inherent selfhood hidden within all phenomena. Through each creative act, filled with uncertainty, I began to reflect: the “Other Subject” is not a fixed, unchanging “they,” but rather a constantly evolving existence that depends on external conditions. Each stroke, each folding and tearing of paper, became an experimental exploration of the interrelationship between matter and consciousness.
Moreover, the experimental approach of “establishing rules without participating” is also the objective state I aim to achieve. The most fitting term I found for this role is “actant”: An actant is neither an object nor a subject but an “intervener,” akin to the Deleuzean “quasi-causal operator.”(Deleuze et al., 2015) An operator is that which, by virtue of its particular location in an assemblage and the fortuity of being in the right place at the right time, makes the difference, makes things happen, becomes the decisive force catalyzing an event. (Bennett, 2010) Therefore, I facilitate the occurrence of events without altering their processes. This open and receptive attitude has allowed me to better experience the “non-self” and “lack of inherent nature” within the philosophy of emptiness, leading to a deeper understanding of the fluidity and diversity in the development of things.
Through this experiment, I gradually realized that the “Other Subject” in artistic creation is not a fixed groups of individual consciousness but an existence shaped collectively by the external world, social environment, material conditions, and other “Others.” This existence is not isolated but continuously changes in accordance with impermanent conditions. Similarly, the “I” as the counterpart to the “Other” subject also requires certain constraints to adopt a more objective perspective. However, absolute objectivity seems unattainable, and at this stage, I will undoubtedly participate as an ‘actant.’ In this sense, this series of experiments has not only helped me reflect on the relationship between matter and consciousness but also made me reconsider the definition of “subjectivity.” In the process of experimentation, participants are no longer merely a distinction between “self” and “other”; they are dynamic, fluid existences, always in a state of transformation. The existence of the “Other” has made me realize that it is an element in artistic creation that cannot exist in isolation; it appears alongside the “self” and simultaneously dissipates.
As mentioned in the book A Philosophy of Emptiness: The way the self and all phenomena come into existence is termed paticca samutppada, or dependent origination. Everything that exists does so in dependence upon a network of causes and conditions. (Watson, 2014) The core of this philosophy lies in the idea that the nature of all things is not isolated; they are interdependent and interact with one another. Through the “Other Subject” experiments, I have been able to materialize and practice this philosophical thinking, which has further deepened my exploration of emptiness, also led me to touch on some kind of response that begins with a curiosity about the nature of the world.
References
Bennett, J. (2010) Vibrant matter: A political ecology of things. Durham: Duke University Press.
Deleuze, G. et al. (2015) Logic of sense. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Koek, A. and Ball, P. (2019) Entangle: Physics and the artistic imagination. Berlin: Hatje Cantz.
Watson, G. (2014) A philosophy of emptiness. London: Reaktion Books.
Images
Fig.1.Anran Zhou, Zinc plates in the experiment(2024)
Fig.2.Anran Zhou, Re-creation of photopolymer etching based on the results of lithography asphalt powder experiments(2024)
Fig.3.Marina Abramović | breathing in/breathing out with Ulay (1977-1998) Available at: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/marina-abramovic-breathing-in-slash-breathing-out-with-ulay-1
Fig.4.Anran Zhou, 2 Close Ups From Being Series, lithography on rice paper, 740 x 45 cm(2024)
Fig.5.Anran Zhou, Newborn 2, 2024 Lithography on rice paper based on AI generated image, 60x45cm
Fig.6.Yu Youhan 余友涵: Circle 1986-8 圓系列1986－8: New wave beyond yuanmingyuan: An important European private collection of Chinese contemporary art: 2022 (no date) Sotheby’s. Available at: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/new-wave-beyond-yuanmingyuan-an-important-european-private-collection-of-chinese-contemporary-art/yu-youhan-yu-you-han-circle-1986-8-yuan-xi-lie1986
Fig.7. Anran Zhou, Being#2, 76 x 56 cm, lithography on paper(2024)
Fig.8-16.Works on tracing paper by participates in the workshop From Emptiness to Action,2024
About the Author
Anran Zhou (stage name: Álom) is an illustrator and printmaking artist based in Hungary, China, and Britain. She completed an MA in Fine Art Printmaking at UAL Camberwell in December 2024. Drawing from the concepts of ‘emptiness,’ ‘void,’ and the ‘numinous’ in both Eastern and Western philosophies, she explores her responses to fundamental questions about life, spirituality, and the inner logic of existence. Her recent work has focused on stimulating the perception of the profound reality of supernatural elements in the void through the experimental approach of shifting subjects, as well as exploring deeper philosophical concepts of the emptiness.
Website: https://www.anran-alom.com
Instagram: anran_alom