A Self-Portrait of a Rubber Band

Introduction

This installation art piece utilizes a 50×50 cm canvas, several transparent fishing lines, stepper motors, and other materials to continuously stretch a single rubber band from all directions, causing it to deform to varying degrees. These deformations form the core of the artwork.

Concept and Background Research

This work focuses on the tension that arises when an individual subject is constrained by structured external forces. The tension is visualized through the deformation of the rubber band. This piece echoes my previous work, A Moment's Victory, which explored collective strength and Sisyphean efforts in the face of recursive time through the coordinated actions of thousands of rubber bands. This time, I shift the focus to a single rubber band—or rather, an individual. Arranged as a self-portrait, the work emphasizes the physical properties of the rubber band: flexibility, elasticity, and fragility. These physical attributes metaphorically reflect the dynamics of individual agency in society.

Force is not only an energy but also a perception. It exists in the stretching of the rubber band, in its impending fragility, in the distance and perspective of the viewer, and within the socio-political context we inhabit. Through this piece, I aim to make these intangible forces emerge in an artistic way. As a metaphor, the work invites the viewer to contemplate the undercurrents that flow between individuals and collectives, society and its components, and the subtle forces shaping these dynamics.

Liu Xinyu