Write a short bio to set the stage. Introduce yourself, your major, where you’re from, and primary art/design interests.
I’m Yi, born and raised in China, a place that experienced and is still experiencing rapid urbanization and economic development, as well as the impact of Internet and digital information within a global context in recent decades. After two years of filmmaking program in Beijing, currently I’m studying at Parsons The New School for Design located at the center of New York City. My major is Design and Technology (Creative Technology track), a promising direction into future industry field. I’m learning and exploring how I can use new technologies, like coding or hardware prototype, to solve design problems. In addition, I’m taking Sustainable Cities as minor because of my strong interest in embedding smart technology into people’s daily living environment.
Describe your work. What do you make? What are the formal qualities?
I’ve done various forms of project: wearable technology, digital interactive graphics, data visualization, short films and UX design for company collaboration system. I have never limit the possibility of learning and taking use of new forms or new materials. Like a vintage typewriter that uses intelligent coding to type out a poem to wake you up, a short research documentary to observe how people perceive the fake but virtual information embedded in a daily life environment, a raincoat that seal itself using magnets. Actually, most of my works challenged the application of new materials and new forms, while deliver interaction with human experience in a respectful and playful way.
Describe your aesthetic values. In what ways do your projects communicate these?
As world becoming “digitalized”, I am exploring the complex correlation between the digital and the physical, the virtual and the real. Through research and experiment, I’m answering how virtual and digital experience is perceived, and how it can be better applied, along with physical computing, to people’s life for better working and living experience. So I would pay strong attention to how people will physically and psychologically react to the things they are using. Also, design ought to create liberation for human’s body and mind in order to bring the value of humanity into play. So like what I’ve done in the UX/UI design for a company’s working collaboration system, I try to create more shortcut in the using flow and in operation.
How do you create your work? What tools are essential? What are your methods of making?
Research papers, surveys and different opinions from others. Most of my project started with a long and free research after a goal of design has been set or a spark of inspiration sprung in my head. For me, this part provides me with the access to comprehend the object and topic I’m working on, therefore I could have the insight and come up with the possible solutions.
Then I sketch, experiment and test to iterate the designs. Creating models and prototype is a big part in my process. With the help of 3d modeling and printing, or other simpler papers or basic materials, I am allowed to discover more possibilities in a short period of time.
As if I have enough insight and understanding about topic or subject, I will curate/arrange my works in order to achieve the consistency between form material in a way, like fusion somehow. This is supreme to me, as I believe for either art or design, that the form should be invisible.
Why do you make what you make? Why is it important to you? To others?
As I just mentioned, our world is getting “digitalized”. This is totally good on the one side, as it opened a door for humans to communicate and share information in a way that never happened before. However, it also brought potential threat. (This idea of mine is really inspired from one of lectures of Clive Dilnot, a well-respected professor at Parsons.) The threat (or this worry) is not really clear to me, but I see that nowadays people started to find themselves in the selfies and SNS, and being ever crazy to immerse themselves in a enjoyable virtual world. Bearing this in mind, I’m thinking about why not using virtual or digital experience to enhance our physical experience and the feeling of existence. I don’t have an absolute opinion about wether the virtual is good or bad. I do believe that it definitely offers more possibility to make a better life for all of us.
There’s also a personal cause. Grown up in China, since my very young age I have been puzzled by the ever-changing existence and environment, the complicated society filled with diverse cultures, and the government under the impact of globalization free(or blocked) internet. Because of human’s intrinsic tendency to stability and security, to seek the true became my frequent topic or theme throughout the design work. Also, as a member of generation experienced the booming of information technology, I believe in its goodness and its potentiality to really do something in the physical world.
How do your research interests inform/intersect with your creative practice?
When I am conducting my research, I intended to do following things which would directly and indirectly to help my design developing process: to fully comprehend the nature of object or topic I’m dealing with and how human interact with it in different ways, to grasp various associated things and topics for occasional inspiration, to find fact and research result which can provide credential proof about certain people’s reaction or perception to different object, to get a broad understanding about the background and context (either social or cultural) of certain things. Then I’ll make decisions based on researches during experiment and developing. Throughout the developing process, I’ll go back and forth between the research and iteration process.
Looking forward, where are you going in your art/design profession? What do you hope to achieve? What specific steps will you take to work toward these goals?
I’m really looking forward to work in User Experience design. Also, I want to explore and learn the urban design because of my passion to apply technology in a daily living environment (or even larger scale). Utilizing AI in the design process seems promising, as I know that such design discipline needs information process.
Recently, I’m taking some courses, learning applying AI(artificial intelligence) to UX/UI. Then I would explore more about the process of urban/architecture design.
A vague final destination for me is to create a city where digital information technology and virtual experience would highly enhance people’s everyday living and working experience.
