Yang Meng

Beyond Words is a participatory interactive installation about how people connect with a place without relying on words.

The project started during a field trip to Genalguacil, a small village in southern Spain. While I was there, I became interested in the small, everyday moments that happened without much verbal communication — a gesture, an action, or simply sharing the same space. These experiences made me think about how we understand and connect with others beyond language.

In the installation, participants are invited to draw freely on paper. Their marks are captured by a camera and used as input for the digital landscape. As more people take part, these traces gradually accumulate and the environment changes over time, becoming a landscape shaped collectively by its participants.

The drawings are also kept in a physical book rather than disappearing after the interaction. Over time, the book becomes a record of everyone who has participated, while the digital landscape shows how these individual marks can come together and change a place.