In this work, I selected vertebrae from sixteen different species and connected them to create an elongated “vertebral symbiote.” By bringing together species that would normally embody distinct life forms and survival logics, I aim to probe the central concept of “discipline” in political biology.
The “gravity” referenced in the title serves as a metaphor for disciplinary mechanisms. It is not a visible, overt form of violence, but rather an omnipresent field of power—inescapable, like a law of physics. Through this metaphor, the work seeks to show how forms of life that could otherwise maintain their unique characteristics are ultimately coerced under such forces into uniformity and compliance. This is precisely the reality I aim to depict: the shaping and disciplining of life forms under power in political biology.
The phrase “even imagination is absent” is a deliberate, deeper intervention. It points to the more insidious nature of discipline—not only does it suppress external life forms, but it erodes the possibility for life itself to break free from regulation and envision alternative modes of existence. In this sense, the “vertebral symbiote” is no longer a site of free interaction among diverse species; it has become a predetermined, homogenized result shaped by disciplinary power.
I intentionally contrast the inherent diversity and potential of the “different species” with the states of “submission” and “absence” suggested in the title. Through this tension, I pose the core question behind the work: when discipline becomes an inescapable “gravity” for life, will the vibrancy of biodiversity and the freedom of creative will ultimately be reduced to silent existences within the field of power?
Shi Yong
10/5/2025
Shanghai
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