Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - SAIC CLASS OF 2020 GRADUATE WEBSITE

The Future of Our Plans: SAIC Graduate Class of 2020

Graduates

The Future of Our Plans: SAIC Graduate Class of 2020

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai)

Master of Fine Arts in Studio, Art and Technology Studies

ctsai2@saic.edu

ahungrybadger.com

For the past two years, I have been exploring the idea of using “human qualities that sometimes we are shy to share out loud, ” such as silliness, cuteness, empathy as the main medium for my art. I try to build relationships, create intimacy, and guide people to play freely in public in my work. Under this context, I have made experiments in forms of installations, drawings, animal sculptures and participatory sound works. They can be found at ahungrybadger.com.

However, rather than only showing past works, I have also decided to dedicate this platform as an invitation to you to engage in a new project, Drawings, Stories, and Calls; a project where I will create animal drawings for you from the noises you make. If you are interested in participating, please scroll down and read through to the very end of the page.

External Website for Drawings, Stories, and Calls project: drawingstoriescalls.wordpress.com

Thank you for your time spent on this page.

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) -

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - The Kelopkelopepe by Tall Grass

The Kelopkelopepe by Tall Grass

The Kelopkelopepe likes flowers. It gets extremely happy when the color of the flower petals match the colors of its spots. Because of their fluffy coats, flowers and seeds get caught in their fur easily. If you are lucky, sometimes you can see a seed sprout on their back.

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - Close Up of a Happy Chujujakaba

Close Up of a Happy Chujujakaba

The Chujujakaba likes to pounce in grass fields with all four feet fleeing in the air. It lands on its belly after it pounces. The animal is quite big and heavy and blue. Why is it so happy?

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - The Dancing Shiwawawakoha

The Dancing Shiwawawakoha

The Shiwawawakoha (Shadow Dog) likes to howl at the moon. They are calm but like to dance under the moon. Their skin is so dark that it absorbs all light that shines on them.

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - Abulahlialas in the Field

Abulahlialas in the Field

Abulahliala /a-bul-hi-lae-la/ (Orange Juice Stripe Dogs) live in groups. They like to make friends. They like to stick their tongues out when they say hi to others. They sing with their tongues out when they say hi. They also like to stick their tongue out under other activities too. They like flowers.

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - The Mikapapipai

The Mikapapipai

The Mikapapipai (Bat Ear and Caws) likes to stretch its back. It makes the sound of a musical scale through its spots when it stretches. It also likes to put things between its front paws to play with.

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - The Bondidudajh

The Bondidudajh

The Bondidudajh is shy and cautious when it explores and travels. It sniffs and uses its nose to identify its surroundings before using its sight. The best sniffing position is for the nose, the back and the tail to form one straight line. What do you think it is sniffing?

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - A Pataveevava Walking in the Wind

A Pataveevava Walking in the Wind

Pataveevavas can resist the wind well. Its long ears and snout helps it to navigate the environment when it is too windy to see. The swirly loops on its tail resonates with the wind and generates windy sounds. It is always calm and always walks slowly.

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - The Makamakabina by a Tree

The Makamakabina by a Tree

The Makamakabina, also known as the Pineapplelion, have big feet that prevent them from sinking in the sand. Their paws are thick and they have blue toes. They like to eat orange fruits that grow on the tip of trees to keep their fur coat bright and shiny.

Chen-Huan Tsai (Julia Tsai) - Instructions for Drawings, Stories, and Calls project

Instructions for Drawings, Stories, and Calls project

Animal Calls, 2020, Interactive installation

Here is another project where it also invites people to play make noises for fantastical animals in a public space. The core about my work is not to construct what’s happening from the documentation, but to get sense of the feelings that could be generated from experience when you enter the piece. To understand this work better, I would also encourage you to try the activity below, if you haven’t participated in the new project, Drawings, Stories and Calls.

1. Gather pictures of fantastical animals, such as the creatures from the installation, and gather around with some friends.
2. Take turns to loosen up and make noises for the animals.
3. See if you can take away connections and feelings generated from experiencing the silly activity together.

Fluffy Geography, 2020, Multimedia installation

Imagination, cuteness, fluffiness, clumsiness, silliness also has the power to comfort when currently it might not be the best time to hug. Child-like feelings of fun, care, and play can have significant values too. This is an invitation to experience and imagine a world together; an invitation to play together and maybe temporarily find comfort in the space created. And when times are better, hopefully, we can hug, play and soothe each other physically again soon.

About the artist:

My work often looks cute, silly, sometimes child-like, or maybe even considered childish. But the cute animal drawings and sculptures, fluffy installations, bucket helmets, wacky noises from my works are more than just being cute and silly. I am interested in sharing a conversation about gentleness, and the value of happiness, empathy and how these qualities of being human can have value. We all have these intimate and tender qualities inside us that make us feel better when we are fragile. These qualities are greatly important, but sometimes we are uncomfortable to share or embrace them publicly because of external circumstances and social expectations.

As a result, I have been creating activities and objects with qualities of silliness, cuteness, clumsiness, fraginess, intimacy through the assistance of sound, digital fabrication, drawings and other techniques. I ask people to wear buckets on their heads and navigate in a soundscape; invite participants to make noises towards murals; make drawings of dogs tripping over themselves because they have too many feet. I construct these situations to create chances of connections (with me or with others or with any quality that the viewer feels). I am interested in bringing out these sometimes-suppressed feelings in a casual way like playing as children, though what we are experiencing is read under the context of studio fine art. I hope my work is at least a safe space to express, experience and more importantly feel these qualities.

Sometimes, I make my art because I am shy to befriend people directly, but I still want to engage, play, hug and express my energy of love. Therefore, I invite people to play together and participe in my art, and hopefully some gap is shortened because of the time and event we experienced together.

Drawings, Stories and Calls project explanation in PDF version.

Drawings Stories and Calls Participation Form.

Please download and submit this form if you are interested in participating in the project, Drawings, Stories and Calls.

Drawings Stories and Calls Participation Consent and Agreement Form.

Please download and submit this form if you are interested in participating in the project, Drawings, Stories, and Calls.