The Appendix-Human
PAUL GONG
Plastic and video installation
Through the hundreds of millions of years over which Earth has developed, organisms have continuously evolved to adapt to and survive in their environments. The ‘vestiges’ of evolution, known as ‘vestigial organs or vestigiality’ in biology, offer important evidence in support of the theory of evolution.
A vestige is like a symbol of the past, and will that symbol have a different representation in the future? In recent years, with the rapid development of science and technology, are vestigial organs completely losing their functions? Or, will they have different functions in the future? Might vestigial organs present new possibilities for human evolution?
The Appendix-Human explores and imagines one of the human vestigial organs-‘appendix’, and attempts to investigate new possibilities and new relationships with the appendix in human lives. Imagining a parallel world to explore the future possibilities of humans and appendix that may be affected by emerging technologies. Will the new appendix change the way we eat? Will the new appendix create changes in our society?
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Artist
Paul Gong (USA/TWN)
Paul Gong (b. 1988, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA) is a speculative designer, artist, and curator. He is currently Assistant Professor Rank Specialist of the Department of Industrial Design at Shih Chien University in Taipei.
He holds a BA in Industrial Design from Chang Gung University in Taipei, and an MA in Design Interactions from the Royal College of Art in London. He was awarded the Next Art Tainan Awards in 2018. He sees design is a research method and thinking tool to explore different possibilities, to criticise the past and the present, and to speculate the future. Design should stimulate debate, imagination, and reflection for people. It is also interesting for him to explore the aesthetics of the representation for possible futures. He attempts to use installation, text and image, conceptual objects, performance, and exhibition to create a kind of scenarii for people to imagine and explore.
His work has been exhibited at MAS, Museum aan de Stroom, Antwerp, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, Taiwan Design Museum, Yiri Arts, Taipei Digital Art Center, and Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab in Taipei, USC 5D Institute in Los Angeles, Future Gallery in Palo Alto, Asian Culture Center in Gwangju, London, and Guangzhou.
Credits & mentions
Project Concept and Design: Paul GONG
Scientific Experts: Dr. Theresa Tsun-Hui TSAO, Dr. Ying-Tung LIN
Actor: Winfield CHANG
Food Model Artist: Taiwan Saikyo Sample Limited Company
Film Produced by : Lane 216, East
Director: Paul GONG
Line Producer: LIN Wei-Lung
Editor: PAN Yen-An PAN
Camera: LIN Wei-Lung , PAN Yen-An, CHANG Neng-Chen
Production Assistant: HUANG Jun-Hao
Supported by: Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab, Asia Culture Center, Asia Culture Institute
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