Yimei Zhu 朱伊湄 – SAIC Graduate Exhibition 2023

SAIC SHOWS 2023 GRADUATE EXHIBITIONS

Graduates

SAIC SHOWS 2023 GRADUATE EXHIBITIONS

Yimei Zhu 朱伊湄

Master of Fine Arts in Studio, Art and Technology Studies

Graduate Exhibition Two (May)

emairzhu@gmail.com

Yimei (Emair) ZHU is an experience-oriented creator focusing on Art, Disability and Posthuman Bodies. Her artworks discuss deficiencies and imperfections seen through an unconventional perspective, and resist stereotypes accompanying disability. Simultaneously, Yimei has also been studying sensory systems in the plant and animal realm that is beyond human capabilities to explore more possibilities for the human senses.

Yimei believes artists should contemplate a future in which technology is no longer regarded as lifeless tools separated from our minds and our bodies. She wants to provide a possibility—humanity with new bodies and senses—to further explore a new world we have never envisioned before. Yimei hopes to build a new community network of disability, art and technology. This new community is positive and embraces new forms of mutual support; within this group, a blockchain community is formed that is guided by the knowledge and skills that each has already gained.

Yimei Zhu 朱伊湄 - Eye, I

Eye, I

Yimei Zhu 朱伊湄 - You are beautiful

You are beautiful

5m², 2021

This short film is a satirical look at the impact of identity perception on personality. It exposes the profound psychological trauma felt by children growing up under policy restrictions. Based on oral interviews with people who have experienced it, the film calls on policymakers to consider the impact on the human psyche when developing such policies. It highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and human connection in creating a more just and equitable world. (More: https://www.emair-zhu.com/5mxm)

SlimeVolt, 2022. Bio art, sound, performance. Collaborators: Yimei Zhu, Yousif Alzayed, Ben Glass

SlimeVolt challenges our relationship with technology by incorporating biological components into our systems to foster a caring relationship with electronics. We feel that the trajectory of computer systems is highly consumptive and energy-dependent; we promote physical systems with biological components to look towards nature on a small and personal scale.

Cat’s whiskers warning, 2022. Wearable Devices

As an artist researching the disability community, my recent focus has been on the low-vision community. Throughout my research, I have been adamant about accepting the challenges this community faces and also finding ways in which art can bring help and hope to this community. With this goal in mind, I developed a wearable device that mimics the whiskers of a cat – distance tested and sensed – to help people with low vision walk more safely at night. (More: https://www.emair-zhu.com/cat-s-whiskers-warning)