The Five Elements

Early Chinese scholars observed the natural world and identified five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, and water—that could be seen in both natural phenomena and human life. They noticed how wood fuels fire, fire creates earth, earth contains metal, metal enriches water, and water nourishes wood, forming a cycle of creation and transformation. More importantly, this pattern influences the perception of the passage of time. Using Umberto Boccioni’s sculpture “Unique Forms of Continuity in Space” as my model, I shot the sculpture from five different angles, to honor the sculptor’s intentions of creating a continuity, and to demonstrate the dynamic balance of these five forces.