Evolution of creativity forms a gateway

Another viral standout this year was a series of installations by Nie Shichang, a master's student from the School of Sculpture and Public Art. It fused ancient philosophy with mechanical design, with his multipart project bridging myth and machine, bronze and silicon.

At the heart of the series was the Xunhuiyi (circuit instrument) — a kinetic installation inspired by the yin-yang symbol. A bronze fish and a motorized fish swim in circular motion, generating a mesmerizing visual rhythm.

The device symbolically fuses the aesthetics of the Bronze Age with the precision of the cyber era. "I wanted to create a collision — or perhaps a symbiosis — between the ancient and the futuristic," Nie explains. "As the gears interlock and spin, they mirror the eternal cycle of civilizations evolving and reincarnating."

The piece draws from a line in Xunzi, one of the most extensive and elegant works in the tradition of Confucian thought. "The beginning is the end, and the end is the beginning, like a circle with no edge." For Nie, it reflects a cosmic philosophy — everything flows in an endless loop.

Another highlight of the series is the dripping instrument, which mimics the ripple effect of a water droplet using mechanical transmission. The structure incorporates traditional compass motifs alongside organic movement. As the installation runs, rings of symbols — inscribed with seal script and hexagrams — rise and fall like ripples on water. Layer upon layer, the patterns extend outward, as if energy waves radiate from a single point in the void, echoing through the cosmos.