Neoerba, meaning NewGrass was conceived by Kevin Chu, founder of SUGO. The project all started when Warner Bros contacted him through a Chinese Consumer Electronics conglomerate, TCL, who wish to recycle its vast inventory of electronic waste into something artistic and contribute to improving our environment.
Kevin Chu, through an instantaneous moment observing the grass field where his child was playing in Roseto, decided to utilize the abstracted digital geometry of individual blades of grass as the initiation on this installation. His idea was rather than the usual approach to a traditional standalone sculpture, NEOERBA need to be “planted” as a modular system and can be adapted into any location with the flexibility of a Viral Art Installation. He decided to collect thousands of pieces of discarded PCB Computer Circuit Boards collected from electronic waste as their green hue and translucency allows for an amazing transmission of light and coloration similar to plantations.
Once the initial geometrical formation was decided the entire installation is hand made with an internal hollow steel structure and each circuit board are chosen in random and gradually laminated over the structure organically without predefined patterns. Photovoltaic flood lights were integrated into each structure or totem for night-time illumination in keeping with sustainability of utilizing renewable energy provided by the sun. Finally, it is finished off with a bioluminescent paint that glows in the dark through absorption of photons from both natural and artificial light source and a specially formulated photocatalytic coating, which is used by Nasa space agency on its satellites, was applied onto each of the Grass Blade “Totems” which allows the entire installation to purify the atmosphere from Virus, Bacteria and Pollutants activated only with sunlight and moving air biomimicry from the process of photosynthesis. For this installation a total of 42 Totems were made as the more quantity there are, the more we can recycle, and the atmospheric purification effect becomes more pronounced.
A special immersive Virtual Reality Artwork was created by Kevin Chu which allows NEOERBA to enter the metaverse where one can experience an alternative dimension and meaning to the installation. The Virtual Reality Artwork was in the context of mass production is engrained into our current generation, but we are now slowly migrating to a more sustainable mindset, and it reflects the dichotomy of past believes and the unknown conflict of future directions for humankind.
A specially programmed Artificial Intelligence system was included in the installation through a hidden sound system which can educate any visitors verbally on any knowledge in over ten languages in organic verbal communication interactions.
Neoerba final transformation will be in years to come, plants will engulf its entire form and metaphysically transform it into a new bio entity while Artificial Intelligence will have reached a point where the installation will be on par or even surpass the level of human intelligence. This is beginning of what we can create as a new being, when one can finally work in unity with Nature and Technology.
