My photo project, Simulated Earth, is about the hydraulic model that my father works on. The idea comes from René Descartes’s simulated earth theory that all of reality, including the Earth and the rest of the universe, could be an artificial simulation. Usually, when talking about it, we will think of some electronic high-tech things, such as virtual reality or metaverse. But here is the hydraulic model built with concrete and bricks. It is the scaled-down model used to simulate ocean currents, docks, etc. in marine engineering as a research approach to solving problems based on similar theories.
These physical hydraulic models are built because China, as a developing country, needs a lot of port construction. The research need leads to demands for construction. Meanwhile, since the physical models are time-consuming and labor-intensive, in recent years most countries have focused on the development of digital models by using computer programs. The digital models are convenient but not accurate enough to simulate water flow and sediment movement. The physical hydraulic models still have an important role.
Meanwhile, I grew up there with sand and tiny fake grass because my father is a hydraulic engineer. I watched him walking through that shadow and sunlight, looking at the world he made. Humans become the god at a specific moment and space to recreate the nature that can be controlled by them. It was the first time I really understood his profession, his life outside of fa
