The Well of Life, 2022

Yann Nguema’s The Well of Life (2022) is a projection mapping of moving light particles that depict the growth of an abstract organism, illustrating the cycle of life.

The artwork is based on growth algorithms, which are typically used to mimic complex natural networks in biology and other disciplines.

As the organism phases in and out of darkness, caught in an eternal loop, the installation explores the delicate balance between light and shadow, and life and death. Projected onto the rocky surface of an old well at King Abdulaziz Historical Center, the life form grows, flows, disappears and reappears across the stone in an elaborate choreography.

Viewers are invited to observe how the light particles sometimes create fauna and flora, evolving according to biological laws. Detailed and intricate, this luminous dance accompanied by a soundscape calls on the observer to contemplate the poetry in its movements and celebrate the wheel of life.