Meng Tang
Experimental and Media Arts
tangx194@umn.edu
How many universes are we living in? How many dimensions are there in this universe? Is there a forth, even a fifth dimension? Is there a way to see what's outside "reality"? Is cyberspace a real "space"? Does time exist in cyberspace? If yes, does it in sync with the time in "reality"? If not, what time is it? Is time real, or it is completely an illusion? If we cannot use time to measure movement, what else can we use? Is dream real, a replay, another universe, or Déjà vu?
"Qian Kun", an ancient Chinese cosmology concept, refers to "heaven and earth", "male and female", or "this universe". In Chinese astrology, there are five fundamental elements ("Wu Xing"): Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. These are five "changing states of being", five "permutations" or five "metamorphoses of being". Another important part of Chinese astrology is the cycle of the twelve Zodiac animal signs or Earthly Branches. They are in order as follows: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar. Five elements multiplied by twelve signs equals sixty years of a life cycle, and then it replays.
What divides life cycles? What divides reality and dream? What divides heaven and earth? Is it time? How can time divide space, how can time be measured? What does a light year measure: distance, or illusion? Can we put a universe in a single atom? Can we explain the universe in a nutshell?
Can these questions be answered by cosmology, astrology, metaphysics, or dream? Can geometry; mathematics; computer programs, or art reveal the boundary? Can we live by order, discipline, communication, or faith?
