Anran Yang is an artist and designer studying Information Experience Design at the Royal College of Art, based in London, UK. She is interested in the relationship between technology and humans, including how technology shapes our ways of living, as well as the influence that people can have on everyday technology. Her works are mostly based on storytelling in moving images, graphics, and other mediums.
Anran Yang
This project explores the relationship between humans and everyday digital technology, such as smartphones, through storytelling in a near-future spectacle:
In an era of information explosion, an increasing amount of data is accumulating in the online world. Memories stored in mobile phones and the Internet have taken on a life of their own, thanks to advancements in artificial intelligence. Originally confined to the digital realm, they gradually manifest in the city, driven by their mission to recommend themselves to humans. Though intangible, they remain hidden throughout various parts of the city, silently influencing people and real-life events.
Story-telling as Research Method
For research process, I created a speculative discussion platform called the Smartphone Forum to engage the audience. Forum leaflets were designed to visually convey the concept of the Smartphone Forum and be used as a medium to invite the audience to participate by encouraging them to imagine a smartphone design that reflects their own ideas. The purpose of this activity is to incorporate people's imaginations through drawing and gather insights on what this digital technology signifies to individuals and how it may evolve in the future.