Zheng Bo: Bamboo as Method

This  site specific and participatory installation creates a place for  contemplation and serves as a reminder of the restorative qualities of  nature within the urban landscape of Somerset House and central London.  Zheng’s commission will be the newest addition to the annual Somerset  House Courtyard Commission Series which features international,  contemporary artists who exemplify innovative thinking across  sustainability and ecology.

Responding  to the neo-classical architecture surrounding the courtyard, Zheng Bo  invites visitors to temporarily disconnect from their fast-paced,  hyper-connected everyday lives by immersing themselves in the biosphere  that surrounds us and by taking up the activity of drawing. Participants  will select bamboo leaves from a variety of species chosen by the  artist as the subjects of their illustrations, and once completed these  are deposited for decomposition to fertilise the garden, completing a  loop of creativity and ecology. Zheng Bo’s commission, as with their  overall practice, is aimed at breaking down the boundaries between  humans and nature, asking what we can learn from nature when we slow  down and take the time to reflect.

The artwork’s title Bamboo as Method 格竹 pays homage to the Ming Dynasty thinker and scholar, Wang Yangming.  Wang’s pursuit of enlightenment through the practice of gewu zhizhi (the  acquisition of knowledge through the investigation of the nature of  things) is encapsulated in Zheng Bo’s profound reference.

⭐️Event Organiser:  Somerset House

🗓Date: 28 February - 28 April 2024