
Hualin Zhang
Inspired by the necrorealist film Silver Heads (1998), Stronger than Humans, Sharper than Trees engages in speculative fabulation, imagining a fusion of human and non-human forms. It envisions an alternative life form, a hybrid of human and plant, endowed with beneficial qualities solidity, resillence, and a high level of resistance to adverse environmental conditions.
Supported by an AI-driven diffusion model, non-human imagery is created on demand, then 3 D printed using PLA material and mounted onto an LED lightbox. The work draws on research indicating that exposure to 2500 lux of light can alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. The images on the lightbox, positioned in the threshold between life and death, melancholy and silence, cast an uncanny glow, prompting reflection on what it means to be human in an increasingly non-human world.