The group of sculptures forming the Blindfold Receptor series (2019-present) is inspired by caterpillars of the peppered moth, which have evolved to perceive colour with receptors on their skin. This...
The group of sculptures forming the Blindfold Receptor series (2019-present) is inspired by caterpillars of the peppered moth, which have evolved to perceive colour with receptors on their skin. This series features geometric spinal structures that recall both machinery and insect. Whereas Chan had previously used industrial steel supports and plastic wheels covered in marbled clay, Blindfold Receptor (Crawling Jewel-Moss II) (2023) employ glass columns and varieties of green-veined marble that invite more skeletal and biomorphic associations. As the glass structure reflects and refracts light at the same time, it acts as both surface and lustre that constantly changes depending on our point of view. A closer look would also reveal that the sinuous column of transparent omni wheels locked within the glass columns is not as it seems. Less cool to the touch, they are in fact 3D-printed plastic that merely mimic glass. Much like the chameleonic caterpillars that inspired this series, Chan's latest "Blindfold Receptors" not only engage our visual but also tactile senses to decipher different material stimuli. - Text by Joyce Hei-ting Wong