Hung Lu Chan
Hung Lu Chan
Bio: Hung Lu Chan (Michael) is an interdisciplinary artist and social designer based in Eindhoven. Growing up within a plural cultural framework in Taiwan, from Daoist and Buddhist cosmologies to Western scientific paradigms, has shaped his interest in how different systems construct knowledge and perception. This has led him to question how dominant human-centric and positivistic perspectives influence the way we relate to the unknown and imagine other forms of existence. Following this path of inquiry, the concept of aliens often shows up in his work. He often approaches “alienness” not just through its extraterrestrial meaning, but also as a poetic and perceptual approach to encounter entities, intelligences, or inner states that exceed familiar human categories. He uses his work as a liminal weaver, breaking the boundaries between science and spirituality, self and other, human and non-human, internal and external.
Artwork Description and Title of Work: Becoming Red Dust 化身紅
Since the late 19th century, Mars has been trapped in our biased imagination, from canal myths to science fiction conquest. Becoming Red Dust rethinks this legacy, inviting us to look beyond data models. By shifting perspective to Mars’ tiniest inhabitant, its dust, the project imagines a future where even non-living matter gains narrative power.
Misinterpretations of Martian observations, like the so-called canals of the 1870s, created visions of alien civilisations and framed Mars as a place to conquer. Modern technology has corrected many illusions, yet our knowledge still depends on data and AI simulations. Reducing a planet to numbers risks creating distance instead of encouraging connection.
Becoming Red Dust invites us to identify with Mars’ most persistent element, its red dust. Seeing dust as an inhabitant offers a more intimate understanding of the planet. This speculative approach questions human-centered views and proposes a future of coexistence, where even non-living things can be storytellers and witnesses in a shared ecology. In this way, Mars becomes less a target for conquest and more a world to relate to.
Creator/work website: www.hungluchan.com Instagram: @hungluchan
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