Graduation project
Capturing Qi
Yoojin Chung
A series of smart objects satirises the transformation of traditional feng shui objects into commercial well-being products.
Feng shui, deeply rooted in Eastern philosophy and cosmology, is the art of object and furniture placement to enhance the flow of vital energy— known as qi—thereby promoting well-being, prosperity, and good fortune. In the contemporary marketplace where self-optimization is sold as crucial to success, the ancient practice has become commodified as quick-fix objects. Capturing Qi satirizes this trend with smarthome devices inspired by traditional feng shui objects. Crystal balls, wind chimes, and fountains monitor and control the intangible qi, making the invisible visible and unquantifiable quantifiable. What is success when it is controlled with the press of a button?