Of Sand and Stones (Blueprints) | Morgane Billuart [3D animation video, 8-10 minutes, 2025]

21 September 2025 By

Of Sand and Stones is a video installation that explores the ecological and symbolic weight of semiconductors, often invisible but fundamental components for the architecture of the digital world. Composed mainly of silicon derived from sand and stones, the semiconductor is the hidden material through which the most advanced technologies operate. 

In the video, forms flash on granular surfaces, creating fragmented, incomplete, constantly changing digital landscapes. This unstable image reflects the fragmented nature of global semiconductor production and the complexity of the systems it supports. Evoking supply chains, ecological pressures, and geopolitical tensions that shape the industry, the film suggests how semiconductors have become both instruments of global connection and instruments of territorial competition. From the coastal poles of Taiwan to manufacturing plants in the Arizona desert, Of Sand and Stones poetically shows how these production circuits reveal a precarious balance between progress and control.

Combining 3D animation, digital drawing, and tactile images, the video composes a speculative mythology of the semiconductor. It invites viewers to reconsider technology through the lens of extraction, labor, and complex and invisible processes, reminding us that every digital interface originates from a handful of earth. The installation, inspired by a domestic interior, invites viewers to experience the work comfortably on the exhibition space floor. 

Photos by Massimiliano Donati, Fondazione IU Rusconi Ghigi