Claw Rod
Arcade Claw, bamboo, 2024
Inspired by the ubiquity of arcade claw machines in Hsinchu, Taiwan, as well as by observing locals fish from a river using a homemade bamboo fishing rod, Claw Rod combines these two elements into a single functioning object that highlights the contrast between the inherent adaptability of natural materials and deliberate limitations of design.
The bamboo pole, lightweight and flexible, excels at a task it was never specifically intended for: fishing. In contrast, the arcade claw, a product of intentional design, fulfills its purpose not through functionality but by providing entertainment—its success measured more by engagement than by effectiveness.
The work brings these contrasting forms together, inviting reflection on the interplay between nature, design, and the purposes we assign to the objects around us.
A Beautiful Waste of Time
A Beautiful Waste of Time (2025) is an interactive installation that invites the viewer to attempt to drop sand into an open hourglass using Claw Rod (2024), a hybrid tool consisting of an arcade claw and a bamboo pole — objects ubiquitous throughout Hsinchu, Taiwan.
The hourglass, a long-standing symbol of mortality, becomes the object of an arcade-style game that draws inspiration from contemplative devices such as miniature Zen gardens. Yet, like the claw machine it references, completion is elusive — the viewer must continuously work/play to keep the sand falling.
Claw Rod (study), video, 2024
Claw Rod features a bamboo fishing rod with an attached arcade claw, used to perform an impossible task: transferring water from a glass bowl onto a 發財樹 (money tree). Between the bowl and the plant lies a strip of water calligraphy paper, which temporarily turns black when touched by water. As the claw struggles to pick up and release the water, only a few drops reach the plant, while the paper briefly records the efforts in fading black marks.