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Information Experience Design (MA)

Ya Feng

Ya Feng is a designer/artist with a passion for exploring the unknown, an adventurous spirit and a curiosity for the world. She supports the constant interrogation of the state of art, culture and society, and her work takes various forms, including interactive installations, moving images and visual communication.

The photo of artist

This project delves into the intricate interplay between the ideal world (containing utopia) and the real world from a philosophical and sociological perspective. The ideal world is defined as an idealised society, environment or situation in the mind of an individual or group, pursuing the idea of a state of perfection. On the other hand, the real world refers to the actual situations we experience and face in our lives.

Using kaleidoscopes as an artistic medium, with sound recognition and AI-generated imagery, the project transforms the audience’s description of an ideal world into a compelling visual experience. This exploration encourages the audience to think in response to the question "What is your ideal world?" and through the interactive experience with the installation is an opportunity for self-reflection, self-questioning and self-discovery, thus helping the audience to re-evaluate their understanding of the ideal world and the real world.

Through this project, I aim to promote a dialogue between the ideal and the real and to promote society's progress and the individual's growth. At the same time, it reminds us that ideal worlds are often abstract and idealistic, and there is a gap between them and actual reality. However, through reflection and action, we can gradually integrate our ideals into reality and work towards creating a better world.



Overall view of the interactive installation
Seeing the kaleidoscope representing the ideal world from the kaleidoscope representing the real world
Imaging detail in a hexagonal kaleidoscope
Presentation of the generated image in a kaleidoscope
Audience interaction with the installation
The interactive interface of the installation
Imaging effects in a triangular kaleidoscope

Concept

This project uses a kaleidoscope as an artistic medium, employing the optical properties of mirror reflections and precise geometric shapes (such as triangles and hexagons). 

The artwork incorporates advanced voice recognition and artificial intelligence technologies. As the audience describes their vision of an ideal world((currently recognisable in all major languages), the system generates corresponding images based on their descriptions and displays them in real-time within the kaleidoscope.

Medium:

Mirror acrylic, portable screen display

Size:

1.75M*3M