YUXUAN
GONG
Disposable Love: The Prosthetics of Presence
The relationship between humans and virtual pets reflects that in the postmodern society, the way people communicate, build relationships and consume objects has changed, objects are disposable and relationships are perishable.
Connection to the body becomes more alienated and people see reflections of themselves through digital portals, having splitted minds inside a digital landscape. Virtual pets are realistic in appearance, but in general, are just some programs and algorithms, but they can generate real emotions and empathy, offering a sense of companionship.
Through this collection, a community that is being trapped by all the mixed conflicting emotions, and being manipulated by artificial intelligence is portrayed.
Developing technology brings people closer to each other, but humans are even more lonely and vulnerable than ever.
Connection to the body becomes more alienated and people see reflections of themselves through digital portals, having splitted minds inside a digital landscape. Virtual pets are realistic in appearance, but in general, are just some programs and algorithms, but they can generate real emotions and empathy, offering a sense of companionship.
Through this collection, a community that is being trapped by all the mixed conflicting emotions, and being manipulated by artificial intelligence is portrayed.
Developing technology brings people closer to each other, but humans are even more lonely and vulnerable than ever.
Façade
In this project named façade, I've looked into self-projection onto objects in temporary urban space. The two main objects are scaffolding coverings and water fountains. One is scaffolding coverings that have fake 2D storefront prints on them. These prints are usually illustrations or images of what the buildings will look like after the construction is done. These scaffolding coverings, with their fake 2D storefront prints, serve as a metaphor for the façades I often do in social settings. I project an idealized version of myself to the outside. Beneath these coverings is the work in progress that I struggle to accept. The relationship between the scaffolding with printed sheetings and the building it covers in a way represent our metropolitan life and the society we live in. In order to face the increasingly complex human relations and urban life, we need to constantly put on masks and switch between identities. I find in this analogy a projection of myself and therefore weirdly, felt accompanied and depressed at the same time.
This craving for protecting myself under a thin layer of fabricated truth made me start to seek an uncovered safe space in the city that can really bring me peace, which is water fountains in parks. They seamlessly blend into their surroundings, embodying a sense of tranquility and acceptance. In moments spent in such spaces, I've felt a profound sense of peace and alignment with my inner self. On the other side of hiding inside a covering, I’m longing for an environment where I can fully accept my being, just like water fountains in nature. Through this journey, I've discovered a resonance between these objects and my own identities.
This craving for protecting myself under a thin layer of fabricated truth made me start to seek an uncovered safe space in the city that can really bring me peace, which is water fountains in parks. They seamlessly blend into their surroundings, embodying a sense of tranquility and acceptance. In moments spent in such spaces, I've felt a profound sense of peace and alignment with my inner self. On the other side of hiding inside a covering, I’m longing for an environment where I can fully accept my being, just like water fountains in nature. Through this journey, I've discovered a resonance between these objects and my own identities.
Digital Nomadism
“Nomads are people who pursue some goal, … Whatever their goal, their wanderings do not come to an end when the goal has been achieved” (Flusser 2003: 43). When we put this term into modern context, we see the digital nomads. Nomads in the digital age have always been chasing something (a certain identity, a scenario in a hybrid virtual situation, or a space/image in their fantasy that can only be found in the cyber world). Hence digital nomadism is an escape, and in this case such escape is endless, because these goals pursued cannot be truly satisfied if digital nomads only fulfill their emotional demands in the virtual world.
Khoomei
Mongolian throat singing (Khoomei) is one particular variant of overtone singing practiced by people in Mongolia. In Mongolian throat singing, the performer produces a fundamental pitch and-simultaneously-one or more pitches over that.
The popularity of throat singing among Mongolians seems to have arisen as a result of geographic location and culture. The open landscape of Mongolia allows for the sounds to carry a great distance. Often, singers travel far into the countryside looking for the right river or go up to the steppes of the mountainside to create the proper environment for throat-singing.
The popularity of throat singing among Mongolians seems to have arisen as a result of geographic location and culture. The open landscape of Mongolia allows for the sounds to carry a great distance. Often, singers travel far into the countryside looking for the right river or go up to the steppes of the mountainside to create the proper environment for throat-singing.
A pain in the *ss
Citibike riding is a popular method of commuting in New York due to its convenience. It has even been used in unexpected situations, such as couples using it to travel to their weddings and after-parties due to heavy traffic, people using citibikes to do extreme biking, and etc,. In these situations, citibikes can be faster than taxis or Ubers for getting from one place to another. However, the user experience of riding citibikes is not always satisfactory. To improve this experience, this capsule collection is designed to address the discomfort often experienced while riding citibikes.