Shiyi Chen

Shiyi is a 3D artist and visual designer based in Shanghai and London. Her practice delves into the dysfunctional social relations and the concept of femininity in the contemporary East Asian era. In the journey of societal exploration, she gathers various fragments and weaves them together to create her unique storytelling through an immersive way.

Shiyi studied Graphic Design at East China Normal University in Shanghai, then moved to London to study MA. She has worked doing visuals, AR/VR and 3D animation for advertising.

My work revolves around feminine qualities and reflects the collective memory related to time, space, history, and memory. East Asian Feminine are facing internal and external obstacles, especially the internal one. The ownership of bodies, identities, and interdependence poses a common question for East Asian femininity, highlighting the significance of collective wisdom. My passion is to create narrative of “Imagined Community”which inspired by Carl Jung, collective memory can magnify marginalised individuals and groups in the process of social development.Their experiences are still interwoven and create a vivid image that exists within everyone's mind.

What is the internal obstacles of East Asian Femininity facing?

"Whisper of Weaving" is a mixed VR experience project that delves into the collective subconscious of East Asian femininity. Within this imagined community, individuals will explore the inherent feminine qualities that connect all of humanity.

Serving as a guiding thread, weaving acts as a conduit for ancient wisdom, mirroring the knot-tying records in mythological narratives. It symbolizes not only the practical labor needs but also embodies reproduction, fertility, and the abstract essence of feminine qualities and identity. The interplay of textile and virtual reality unravels the Mother Deity and hidden whispers.