Nature-Co-Creation
Daishi Luo
2025
Physical Sample from the Copper Colors, video, microphotography print on Hahnemühle fine art paper, mounted on aluminum composite panel
H 240 cm x W 600 cm x D 15 cm
Sculpture - installation
Nature-Co-Creation is an immersive installation that brings together 20 copper color growth slices from the Copper Colors project, the video work Seed II, and the photography print series Fragments. Blending stillness with motion, this work invites viewers to explore the wonders of life co-created by humans and nature, while reflecting on our deep connection to the material history of the world.
Copper Colors: A Living System of Material Transformation
Since 2020, Copper Colors has been an evolving experimental project by Luo Daishi, systematically exploring the future of deep co-creation between humans and nature. Inspired by traditional Chinese artisans who use natural substances to artificially patinate and age bronze, Luo saw within this process a profound collaborative potential—where human intervention and natural transformation merge into a singular act of creation.
In her work, copper color is treated as a living, dynamic entity, guided by biological principles. Using elements such as hair, plants, minerals, and chemical compounds, Luo orchestrates intricate reactions with air, sunlight, and seawater, fostering an organic interplay between human design and environmental forces. After conducting thousands of experiments, she has developed a method of “controlled unpredictability”, cultivating 523 distinct copper-based color growth patterns (to date). This ever-expanding copper color ecosystem transcends the conventional boundaries of art and science, offering a new paradigm where artificial and natural forces seamlessly merge. Through this framework, copper color is no longer just a visual phenomenon—it becomes a medium for exploring symbiotic evolution between humans and nature, fostering interdisciplinary innovation and redefining creative possibilities.
Nature-Co-Creation: A Multi-Sensory Experience
Each copper color slice in Nature-Co-Creation represents a distinct mode of material growth, while the accompanying Fragments photography series uses extreme close-up imagery to unveil the hidden textures and microstructures of copper beyond the limits of human vision. Meanwhile, the video work Seed II captures the slow transformation of copper surfaces, using time-lapse macro photography to reveal the mesmerizing interplay of color and form as it unfolds over time.
By combining these elements, Nature-Co-Creation highlights the complexity and vitality of copper’s material evolution. The installation is arranged in a non-linear, floating composition, reminiscent of cosmic dust drifting through the ever-expanding universe of the Copper Color Gene Bank. This interplay between microscopic detail and vast cosmic scaleechoes the aesthetics of traditional Chinese landscape painting, inviting viewers into an abstract yet deeply immersive exploration of the natural world.
EXHIBITION
Nature-Co-Creation at the Rotterdam Design Biennale (2025)