A circuit board serves as the architectural framework of a computer's functioning mind, operating on the core principle of manipulating on-and-off signals to execute logical operations. It mechanically supports and interconnects electronic components, facilitating the flow of these signals. Each hole and engraving etched onto a chip carries its own significance. In Mapping (2021), a collection of thirty-five found circuit boards is reimagined as an operational map spliced together. Arranged to evoke an astronomical pattern, the sculptural landscape mirrors a night sky filled with stars. By displacing the functional markings of the circuit boards, the engravings coalesce into random, abstract patterns. Through this assemblage, Mapping examines the functional essence of digitization while simultaneously creating a visual representation of the universe shaped by randomness and chance.

Q: What prompted your interest in the motherboard as a subject?

Tan Mu: From a young age, I was deeply fascinated by circuit design and the logic systems that govern the physical world. I took courses that introduced me to these structures, and they shaped the way I think about technology, physics, and order. What captivated me most was the idea of logic circuits, where complex functions emerge from simple switches and signal pathways. At the center of this system is the motherboard, which acts as the core organizer of computational activity.

My interest goes beyond the technical function of hardware. I am equally drawn to the history of computing and how each evolution in motherboard design has directly enabled exponential growth in computational power. These developments are not merely about efficiency or speed. They reflect a collective human ambition to expand capability and push limits. Every advancement in motherboard architecture becomes part of a broader narrative of technological progress, leaving behind a material record of how we think, build, and imagine the future.

Q: What led you to present the back side of the motherboard as the main visual focus in Mapping?

Tan Mu: I chose to focus on the back side of the motherboard because it reveals a structure that is usually hidden yet fundamentally essential. This golden surface contains solder points, signal routes, power layers, and connection markings that quietly sustain the entire system. While the front side presents recognizable components such as chips and logic units, the back side operates as an invisible network that enables everything else to function.

The relationship between the front and back feels almost architectural. Everything visible relies on what remains unseen. By bringing this concealed layer into view, I wanted to shift perception and elevate a purely functional surface into something poetic. When isolated and recontextualized, these golden traces resemble star charts or abstract landscapes. In Mapping, this inversion allows technology to be read visually rather than operationally, encouraging viewers to reflect on the hidden logic that shapes digital systems and, by extension, contemporary life.

Q: What does the visual parallel between circuit pathways and star maps represent for you?

Tan Mu: The traces on a motherboard are determined by precise calculations that define the most efficient paths for electrical signals. When viewed abstractly, these paths resemble topographical maps or constellations. This resemblance creates a dialogue between computation and imagination, between the infrastructure of our digital reality and humanity’s long standing fascination with the cosmos.

This idea extends into other works in my practice, particularly the Signal series, which explores undersea fiber optic cables. If we imagine Earth as a motherboard, then these cables function like logic pathways connecting cities, much like solder points linking components on a circuit board. Their routes are shaped by geography, labor, cost, and environmental constraints, yet when visualized, they form patterns that feel cosmic in scale.

This parallel reflects a deeper human impulse. As we push technology toward greater power and complexity, we also continue to look outward, imagining futures beyond our planet. Even though we remain grounded on Earth, our desire to transcend it persists. The visual language of stars becomes a metaphor for that longing. Through art, I try to give form to this collective aspiration, where logic, infrastructure, and imagination converge.