Physis, derived from phyō ("to grow"), in Pre-Socratic philosophy referred to an inner process of becoming and unfolding. Nature was not a static given but a dynamic force with its own drive for development. This contrasts with the modern scientific view, which sees nature as a mechanical system, explainable through laws and causality. The ancient concept of physis is revived in ecological thinking, where nature is not merely an object but a network of interactions and emergent processes.
This installation confronts the viewer with the boundary between life and lifelessness, growth and stillness. By placing the coral on a platform and introducing minimal movement through an AI-generated video, the viewer is invited to reflect on how we understand and perceive nature. Here, physis is not conceived as a collection of objects but as a process—a continuous dynamic of formation, transformation, and transience.
The installation encourages the viewer to break away from the modern scientific perspective, in which nature is primarily understood in terms of lifeless matter and fixed
laws. By giving the coral a subtle, almost imperceptible motion, we are challenged to look and experience anew - to unlearn and unsee what we thought we understood.