“There’s an alternate world that we live in which is invisible. It is a world comprises of electronic devices, computer programs, networks, media, and information; one we call the Crystal City.”
The city is called crystal, because it grows like one. All the elements in the city develop individually, with an internal pattern and logic, and continue to spread towards infinity. It is transparent, lithe, invisible, and unquantifiable, and yet it projects a world of unparalleled realism.
Wu specializes in the new-media way of thinking. He explores mankind’s physical losses resulting from changed perceptions in a world shaped by visual media. “Our understanding of the world is flat, sliced and compressed. It has a lot to do with the fact that we are so used to images,” Wu says. For instance, once we’re online, we’re able to “arrive” at another “place” via different interfaces.