Kaleidoscope of the Universes

In Buddhism, mandala is the painting representing the universe/cosmos. The word originates from Sanskrit, which means “cosmogram” or “world in harmony.” For Tibetan tantric Buddhism, the mandala is drawn by monks using colourful sand during a ritual, and immediately destroyed when the image is finished as the closure of the ritual. The mandala symbolises all the living creatures and the gods, the origin of universe, and its immediate destruction signifies the impermanence of existence. The mandala mirrors how the creators of the mandala understand the world, an image of the universe that was apparent to the people living back in the time.

Nowadays, Science has given explanation to many mysterious things. The imagery of Mandala no longer represent the truth but a religious view.

Could we possibly ‘update’ the imagery of Mandala to our current understanding of the world? To create the mandala ritual that reflect our relationship and our projection of the universe nowadays?

Kaleidoscope of the Universes is a project that attempts to find a new agency for modern human within the structure of ancient rituals. Using the notion of actual sand (soil) to culture and isolate microbes to expend the invisible biological universes for our unaided eyes, with a 3D printer controlled by brainwave as our new tool for drawing, which constructs the modern growing mandala as the reflection of our perceivable universe.

Credits:

Sponsor by NTMOFA, Taipei City Government- Department of Cultural Affairs, LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial, Industrias ROKO

3D Printer Software & Hardware Design: Luis Díaz, David Pello, Fablab Asturias, LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial
3D Printer Software & Hardware Consultant: MinShu Huang
Microbiology Consultants: Professor Chun-Yao Chen from Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Tzu-Chi University, and Fenix Cheng-Tsung Pan