(re)connecting.earth Biennale, 2026 – Jeewi Lee x Phillip C. Reiner

"Tidal Memories" presents three sand grain sculptures enlarged 2000 times, first shown at the Sea Art Festival Busan in 2025. One grain originates from Dadaepo Beach in South Korea, two from other continents. Each grain's surface topography, captured through nano-CT scanning, records geological time: erosion patterns, mineral composition, transport histories written in microscopic detail. The works appear in the third (re)connecting.earth Biennale, "Sensitive Resources," installed along a public art parcours across Grand Geneve from 25 April to 14 June 2026. The route links artworks, cultural institutions, and natural sites between Geneva and Annemasse, accessible by tram, Leman Express, cycling, and walking along the Voie Verte. Sand connects directly to the biennale's resource theme. Global consumption exceeds 50 billion tonnes per year while angular particles required for construction grow scarce. The sculptures make this condition physical: common sand, scanned and enlarged, becomes evidence of geological persistence and industrial depletion. Placed along the parcours among site-specific commissions, the works bring coastal material from three continents into an alpine-urban corridor.

Research:
Nano-CT scanning with Zeiss equipment captures sand grains at sub-micron resolution. The 2000x enlargement factor pushes computational limits: mesh processing must preserve microscopic surface detail while generating structurally viable forms. Each grain's scan data, originally 50 to 100 microns across, expands to sculptures of nearly two meters. DICOM image sequences translate to 3D geometry through surface reconstruction algorithms, requiring selective detail retention that balances topological fidelity against production constraints. The workflow converts raw volumetric data into fabrication-ready geometry through iterative decimation, feature-weighted remeshing, and structural analysis for material and scale requirements. Production at this scale demands material systems that maintain surface fidelity while withstanding outdoor conditions across the exhibition period.