10 Questions with Shin-Rung Yang

Shin Yang (Shin-Rung Yang) is an artist and spatial designer based in Los Angeles and Taipei. Her multidisciplinary approach, drawing on her academic background in art and architecture, explores diverse ways of experiencing space. Yang collaborates extensively with visual artists, architects, curators, and scenic designers. As a recipient of the John K. Branner Fellowship, she undertook a three-month research journey across nine countries in 2022. In 2017, she was selected for a six-month exchange opportunity at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. Yang received the Chester Miller Fellowship in 2023 for her project Detours & Deviations and earned her Master of Architecture from UC Berkeley in the same year, following her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Taipei National University of the Arts in 2018.

Having lived and worked in Los Angeles, Prague, San Francisco, and Taipei and traveled to over 20 countries in the past decade, Yang’s extensive international experiences significantly influence her work. Her projects delve into themes of urban environments, memory, and spatial perception, examining both the psychological and physical dimensions of spaces. Yang views her work as complete only when it engages with “events,” reflecting a rich tapestry of spatial narratives and sensory experiences. Her ongoing project, Palimpsest, funded by the National Culture and Arts Foundation Grant, investigates spatial memory through an AI-driven immersive experience, exploring the intersections of imagination and reality and the nuanced “touch” of digital media.

shinyangwork.com | @shinsstuff

Gradient, Digital, 2023 © Shin-Rung Yang
Underwater divers interpret elevation changes via color shifts, similar to how maps use gradients to represent topographical features. In 3D modeling, gradients often define displacement data, shaping virtual landscapes. This project utilizes a series of maps from dive sites around the Gulf of Aqaba as displacement maps to create the “virtual shores,” blending the concepts of gradients across diving, mapping, and digital modeling. This work reflects the artist’s response to her diving experience in Aqaba, where a diver advised, “Follow the gradient, and you’ll find the shore.”

INTERVIEW

Please tell us about your academic journey. You studied Fine Arts in Taipei before transitioning to a Master of Architecture at UC Berkeley. How have these different disciplines shaped your multidisciplinary practice?

While art schools offer a perfect environment for discussion and collaboration among artists, they are still institutions with established frameworks that may not fully support every individual's interests. During my time at art school, I loved exploring the creative processes of multidisciplinary artists and seeing how their diverse backgrounds shaped their methodologies. I decided that stepping out of the academic art world was essential for pursuing my interests in environmental contexts, spatial perceptions, and the interplay between spaces and human activities, which ultimately ledme to architecture. Architecture, much like art, serves as a crossroads for various disciplines, so my studies not only deepened my understanding of these areas of interest but also expanded my perspectives in both thinking and making.Most importantly, I met many creative individuals with a wide range of expertise who inspired me greatly, and some even became my close friends and collaborators.

Your extensive international experience, living and working in Taipei, Prague, and San Francisco, among others, is significant in your work. How have these diverse environments influenced your creative vision and approach to spatial design?

For me, spatial design is often about "bringing back a feeling." This feeling might stem from a memorable experience, like a trip to a foreign country, a view outside your parents' house, or a fleeting moment during your daily commute. The goal is to recapture a personal experience while resonating with universal emotions. My diverse experiences from living and traveling around the globe enrich this process, enabling me to transform memorable moments into distinct spatial features. After a three-month research journey abroad funded by the John K. Branner Fellowship, I prototyped a series of spaces inspired by my travels, some of which are showcased in my collage project, Portrait of Places (2023).

Portraits of Places, Ahmed, m23, & the man with three names, Graphite, charcoal, acrylic, colored pencil, paper, spray paint, mylar, 200 × 124.5 × 10.5 cm (78.5 × 49 × 4 in), 2023 © Shin-Rung Yang
In “Portraits of Places,” the artist captures the distinct “characters” of cities she visited—Aqaba, Cairo, Luxor, and Tel Aviv—using a blend of architectural drafting and collaging. Each portrayal is selectively focused, emphasizing specific aspects of these cities and offering perspectives that differ from the actual site experience. By embracing the inherent partiality of these representations, “Portraits of Places” fosters open-ended narratives that invite viewers to engage with the spatial interpretations and connect them to their own experiences.

As a recipient of both the John K. Branner Fellowship and Chester Miller Fellowship, what were the most transformative insights or experiences you gained during your research travels and projects?

It's difficult to pinpoint the "most transformative" experiences from the travels. Though two years have passed since my three-month journey in 2022, I still feel like I'm processing it all. What stands out to me is how many interesting ideas emerged from unexpected sources. Initially, I was exploring humans' sense of direction, examining wayfinding systems in urban environments and other built features that inform orientation. However, while diving by the Red Sea in Aqaba, a diver told me that the easiest way to navigate underwater was by following the color gradient of the sea: "Follow the gradient, and you'll find the shore." This unfamiliar approach to orientation captivated me and later inspired my project, Gradient (2023), which transcribes color maps of dive sites as displacement data with modeling software to create the "virtual shores," blending the concepts of gradients across diving, mapping, and digital modeling.

Let's talk about your work. You engage with different mediums and techniques, but what is your preferred one, the one you feel more drawn to? And what does it represent for you?

I enjoy working with mediums that involve building by hand. About a decade ago, my practice focused on sculpture, where I experimented with various materials, deepening my obsession with physical objects and tactile experiences. Often, creating something by hand helped facilitate my thinking. Today, even when my work is digital or virtual, I maintain a level of hand-making in the process. I appreciate how that craftsmanship is reflected in the final results. In Detours & Deviations (2023), my collaborator Paul Wang and I constructed most of the virtual scenes using scanned physical models. The project explores the subtle "touch" in digital media and the interplay between the physical and digital realms.

Detours & Deviations, Walkthrough view, 2023 © Shin-Rung Yang
“Detours & Deviations” is a dynamic world perpetually reshaped by memories. Players traverse a landscape, where their actions give birth to “memories” that, in turn, influence the evolving environment. Different experiences converge and intertwine, creating a collective journey that never ends. The project’s ambition is to manifest the evolution of memories through AI-driven, procedural spatial reconstructions and to allow players the freedom to explore an ever-evolving narrative woven with their own and others’ memories.
The perpetual transformation of the space is closely tied to the presence of agents, referred to as “actors,” who serve as custodians of various scenes, encapsulating and gathering memories imbued with subconscious behaviors. These actors possess distinctive personalities and methods for shaping their surroundings. Each begins their journey within a designated region but may venture into other territories, either to spark events or influence the inclinations of fellow actors.

Detours & Deviations, Walkthrough view, 2023 © Shin-Rung Yang

Working across different disciplines, what is your creative process like? And how does it change based on the mediums or projects you work with?

A significant aspect of my creative process involves finding the right approach and medium for each project. Just as different languages shape thoughts differently, each medium has its own inherent syntax that influences both how the artist visualizes their work and how the audience perceives it. For me, that is where creativity lies. It's also why I actively seek opportunities to work or study in different disciplines, as they introduce new approaches and mediums that could beworth exploring for future projects. You never know what might inspire you, and that's part of the fun.

Your work often explores urban environments, memory, and spatial perception themes. Can you elaborate on how these themes emerged in your practice and why they resonate with you?

From the early days of my creative journey, I often envisioned places in my mind—spaces that felt like distant memories, many of which I had never actually visited yet somehow felt familiar and intriguing. I'm almost certain this strange sensation arises from early life experiences, though I can't pinpoint how. About a decade ago, these themes began to surface in my paintings and sculptures before I discovered other mediums that offered more explorative ways to express my ideas and emotions. As I delved deeper and experimented with various approaches, these themes evolved from mere impulses into a series of research and investigations. Now, the question has shifted from why these topics resonate with me to what they can reveal in my creative process.

Your projects often focus on the psychological and physical dimensions of spaces. How do you balance these two aspects, and what techniques do you use to evoke sensory experiences in your work?

I believe that in spatial art and design, the psychological and physical dimensions of spaces are inherently intertwined. Every physical element—textures, lighting, and geometry—carries its own feelings and meanings, whether intended or not. In my work Touch House(2022), I aimed to evoke the mental structure of a house through its physical features. I created textile models that allow individuals to "feel" the space with their fingertips, fostering an understanding of spatial arrangements beyond visual perception.

You've mentioned that your work is only complete when it engages with "events." Could you explain what this means to you and how you incorporate this notion into your spatial designs and artworks?

In scenic design, a scene comes to life when someone is in it, engaging in action. Without that human presence, it is merely a set. The same applies to architecture; buildings only become architectural when human activities are introduced. I find it exciting to explore the diverse ways in which art can be interpreted and experienced, so I create situations that invite the audience to engage with the work in their own contexts. My immersive experience project, Palimpsest, interacts with participant behaviors, allowing its narrative to evolve uniquely with each engagement.

Gradient, Digital, 2023 © Shin-Rung Yang

In your recent project, Palimpsest, you investigate spatial memory through an AI-driven immersive experience. What is your stance on the role of technology in art? Do you feel threatened by AI or see it as an opportunity?

I believe AI may pose a threat to certain jobs, but it will never undermine the essence of art. When used thoughtfully, AI can enhance the artistic process, enabling artists to explore new dimensions and possibilities. Beyond being a tool, AI can also serve as a subject or theme in art, fostering important conversations. For instance, Ian Cheng's Bag of Beliefs (2019) features a programmed creature that evolves and interacts with its environment, prompting viewers to reflect on consciousness and the ethical implications of considering AI as living beings.

Speaking of technology and the future, how do you see your work evolving over the next few years? Are there any emerging tools or mediums you want to incorporate into your practice?

I see my creative process evolving constantly, and I'm always open to experimenting with new technologies and techniques. My ongoing project, Palimpsest, aims to explore the use of OpenPose—a technology that captures human movements—in theaters, films, and other applications. Our team is eager to create more intuitive and engaging audience interactions within the immersive installation. By integrating OpenPose, the project will capture participants' physical expressions and interpret them programmatically, influencing the narratives.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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