Wandering Sun in West Lake

Wandering Sun in West Lake(徘徊于西湖的太阳) is an immersive media artwork inspired by Su Dongpo (蘇軾, 1037–1101) and his poem “Drinking at West Lake After the Rain” (饮湖上初晴后雨二首). This work reinterprets the ephemeral interplay of light and water on West Lake (西湖)—a reflection of its inherent impermanence (無常)—through the traditional handscroll (卷軸) format, transformed into a digital, time-based experience.
Installed as a public art piece in a long corridor connecting a subway station to a museum, the piece unfolds across a 2.4m × 57.6m LED screen as a digital scroll (Digital Scroll), inviting viewers to walk alongside a drifting sun, immersing themselves in its ever-changing surroundings.
By integrating Qwen-72B-Chat, an advanced AI model trained in classical Chinese poetry, the rhythmic structure and meaning of Su Dongpo’s verses are seamlessly woven into the sun’s movement and color transitions, bringing the poetic atmosphere (诗境) of traditional poetry into a dynamic digital realm.
As the sun sways from side to side and bounces rhythmically, the shifting sky, drifting clouds, and rippling reflections on the lake mirror its journey, forming a visual and poetic rhythm. This work extends the traditional concept of “the unity of poetry, calligraphy, and painting” (詩書畫一體) into a contemporary media experience, where words and images converge in an ever-evolving narrative.
Rooted in Hangzhou’s rich literati (文人) tradition, the artist—an Artist-Scholar merging science, art, literature, and data—challenges viewers to contemplate the evolving relationship between nature, humanity, and technology in an era shaped by digital acceleration. Through a living digital poem, the work presents a contemplative space where ancient literary traditions intersect with the rhythm of modernity.
“I was born without a home; where else can I go?” (我本无家更安往)
The wandering sun continues its search.