10 Questions with Danni Zheng

Danni Zheng is a new media artist with a spatial design background, graduated from the Royal College of Art, and is currently based in London. Her work often explored the relationship between physical and virtual space by investigating the status quo and speculating the future in a digital way, such as through 3D animation, immersive experiences, live performances, and creative coding.

Her recent work primarily focuses on future world-building, where nature, synthetic objects, and human intervention intertwine. She aims to inspire audiences to consider the possibilities of a sustainable and speculative environment through her work.

In her artistic practice, Danni has collaborated with sound artists, engineers, composers, and architects. Her works have been presented at Dyson Gallery in London, Menier Gallery in London, Willesden Gallery in London, Samsung KX in London, Fabrica Gallery in Brighton, HART in Hong Kong, and Tomorrow Maybe in Hong Kong.

danni-zheng.com | @danni.studio

INTERVIEW

First, tell us a little about your background and studies. What kind of education or training helped you develop your approach to art?

Well, I studied interior design in Beijing during my undergraduate. But in 2017 and 2018, I visited some new media art exhibitions in Beijing that combined art, light, fog, technology, sound, and spaces. As I stood there, a thought popped into my head, "Wow, that's super cool! Maybe I can create something like this too!" From that moment on, I started to learn about those emerging technologies and developed the idea of becoming a new media artist.
In 2019, I came to the Royal College of Art to pursue my master's degree in Information Experience Design. During that time, I explored various digital methods of creation, such as 3d animation, interactive projection mapping, and installation. In addition, I've enjoyed drawing since my childhood and have always had exposure to some art or painting-related skills. These experiences have also helped me develop my own style and approach to my artistic creation.

You are a versatile multidisciplinary artist working primarily with new media. How did you approach this subject? And why did you prefer new media over traditional ones, like painting or sculpture?

I think new media art is a combination of both technology and art. In the production process, it does require some effort in the technical aspect. Sometimes, you need to have a certain level of understanding of the technology to know the limits of what you can achieve with your work. However, I also believe that when creating new media art, it's important not to be completely dazzled by the cool effects that technology can provide. What's more important is the story your work is telling, the core of your work, and the overall aesthetics that you can achieve through a combination of visual, sound, and other elements.
While building a physical space often has limitations on regulations, virtual space allows for more freedom in creation. That is the reason why I chose new media and emerging technologies as my main creation tool. However, in my own projects, I also incorporate traditional elements, such as drawing and sculpture. For example, in "Lost in Deep Blue," I drew some flowers and then processed them digitally to create a fusion of traditional and digital art. In "Mineral Wasteland," I also did some crystalline objects during my research.

You also collaborate with several figures, like sound artists, engineers, composers, and architects. How do these collaborations help you develop your work?

When creating my art pieces, I often seek help from professionals in fields that I'm not familiar with because I want my works to have a strong scientific or technical basis. For example, in my project "Mineral Wasteland," I worked with a chemical engineer to conduct some chemical experiments, which helped to make the whole project more scientifically grounded. Similarly, in my film and audio-visual works, I have no background in music composition, so after creating the visual elements, I often have to find pre-existing music that fits my work, which can be challenging. Therefore, working with a composer or sound artist is a much better way to complete my projects. Also, for my ongoing project, which involves building a temporary physical space, I may need an architect to provide suggestions on the actual structural design. The purpose of the collaboration is to achieve a synergistic effect - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

What is your aim as an artist? What would you like the public to get away from your work?

Currently, as an artist, I simply want to pursue the themes and works that I love without catering to popular taste. There will always be an audience who appreciates my work. If these individuals derive joy from my work or gain new inspiration or insights through it, that would be a great outcome.

Let's talk about your creative process. Can you guide us through the process, from the first idea to the final product?

This may vary depending on the project. For speculative world-building, I begin by considering the worldview and imagining what the scene would look like. I combine historical research with real-world phenomena to help me conceive stories that might happen in the future. Due to my background in environmental design, I find it challenging to describe a complete story through storyboarding directly. Instead, I often create specific details after imagining the entire scene. For audio-visual works, sometimes, collaboration with a composer is crucial at the proposal stage to determine the project's theme, visual content, and music style.

Your statement says your aim is "to inspire audiences to consider the possibilities of a sustainable and speculative environment." In your opinion, what is the role of art in addressing such themes?

I think artistic practice can inspire audiences to think differently in some ways. They might think, "Oh, so the future can look like this," or they may reflect on their own lives after experiencing a particular scene. Art can raise questions without necessarily requiring answers but rather encourage people to care and spark new ideas. It is more about capturing the present or imagining a possible future through the present rather than creating an immediately producible product.

Is there any other medium or technique you would like to experiment with? 

I want to try making glass. Another thing I want to try is kinetic laser and sound installation or light installation.

Let's talk about the future. What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

Currently, I work as an experience designer while also creating artwork as a new media or digital artist. Looking towards the future, I hope to have more opportunities for exhibitions and showcasing my work in different countries and cities. Of course, I would also like to receive more commercial commissions. Recently, I've been excited to receive some commissions that I enjoy working on.

What do you hope to accomplish this year, both in terms of career goals and personal life?

As for my career goals this year, I am mainly focused on completing the commissions I have received while also exploring various new methods of creation. In terms of my personal life, I always believe in going with the flow and having fun.

Finally, any shows, galleries, or publications where our readers can find your work?

If nothing unexpected happens, I will have a new immersive interactive experience on display in Shanghai in November 2023. Additionally, in January 2024, I will have an exhibition, artist talk, and audio-visual performance as a resident artist in Reykjavik, Iceland. This is a new collaborative project about ice.