Six Acres 六畝地
Coexistence
Six Acres is a two-channel video installation animating nearly 400 watercolour paintings initiated by Wan-Yi in 2019. Named after the land we have inhabited for the past two decades, the work examines the interconnection between humans and the natural environment. Through the animated watercolours, Six Acres articulates how the rhythms, vitality, and transformative energy of nature shape not only our external surroundings but also our internal worlds.
This body of work is rooted in a practice of intuitive creation. With no prior experience in watercolour, Wan-Yi approached the medium as an experiment in unfiltered expression—curious to see what would surface when instinct led the way. Unlike her past three-dimensional work, which unfolded through extended processes, watercolour’s immediacy allowed for spontaneous discovery. Without predetermined subjects, the paintings surfaced as subconscious impressions. Only later did they reveal their deep connection to the surrounding environment. Each brushstroke became a response to something felt rather than observed, while the animations extended this dialogue into motion, rendering the negative space alive with unseen forces.
The conceptual foundation of Six Acres lies in the restorative potential of nature as a site of both reflection and revelation. In 2002, we relocated from Brooklyn, NY to this secluded landscape, unknowingly answering a call for stillness and connection. This environment became a quiet collaborator, offering a sanctuary for self-discovery and healing. It was here, amidst a creek, forests, and gardens, that we unearthed deeper truths about our own experiences.
Animating the watercolours is an act of honouring nature’s ceaseless state of flux, where transformation is a constant. The visible interplay between form and void in the animations mirrors the human experience of inhabiting the dynamic, interconnected web of the natural world. By making the unseen tangible, Six Acres speaks to the energies and rhythms that extend beyond the physical, reminding us of our inseparability from the environments we inhabit.
The inaugural video iteration of Six Acres was presented in NOURISH, at the Richmond Art Gallery in BC, Canada, from January 22 to April 3, 2022. This work was built on its earlier iteration as a mixed-media installation of watercolours, light boxes, and sound, presented by Dimension Endowment of Art 帝門藝術教育基金會 in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2019. The Dimension Endowment of Art is the longest-standing art foundation in Taiwan.
Watch the Artist Interview Video produced by the Richmond Art Gallery.
Press on the NOURISH Exhibition:
Watch Mizzonk’s interview with CBC News Vancouver.
Interview with Gloria Macarenko on CBC radio.
Watch Mizzonk’s interview with Fairchild TV Vancouver in Mandarin.
Read the NOURISH exhibition review by Preview
Read the NOURISH exhibition review by Gallery West
Below are animation clips, watercolours, and installation notes.
Installation Notes
Format: Two-channel synchronized video
Duration: 4-minute loop per video
Projection Scale: Ideally floor-to-ceiling. The large-scale projection emphasizes the relationship between nature and humans—where human presence feels minuscule in contrast to nature’s vastness and force. For the Richmond Art Gallery installation, we intentionally adjusted one projection’s scale to respond to the funnel-shaped space, creating spatial depth that engages with the site’s unique architecture.
Video Quality: Available in 4K and HD (Richmond Art Gallery installation presented in HD).
Adaptability: Created for both two-channel and single-channel installations, allowing flexibility for various gallery settings.