Another dialogue between material vitality and spatial perception unfolds in Wood Wide Web (2025), where a cast of manipulated, found plastic shipping pallet fragments evokes subterranean mycorrhizal networks—hidden systems through which trees communicate and sustain one another. The use of pallets, a recurring motif in Chan’s work since 2018 (also seen in Moth, 2023), draws a parallel between the underground network of tree roots and the above-ground system of pallets, which function as temporary, mobile surfaces within the context of a circular, global economy. The fragile, root-like forms render visible what typically remains unseen, while the chemical process of lost-wax casting process introduces an element of material autonomy. The contrast between human ideas of growth—focused on efficiency, labor removal, and human-centric progression—and the intelligence of other life forms, which grow through communication and the sharing of resources, is striking. The patina, reminiscent of ancient Chinese ritual bronzes buried for the afterlife and now unearthed, adds a layer of historical depth. Hovering at an elevated height, Wood Wide Web blurs the distinctions between architecture and organic growth, further activating the surrounding space and extending the viewer’s perception between interior and exterior realms.”

-Text by Tersea Retzer