The Royal College of Art Students' projects - Videos
Xiangyu Wang
Sound of Destiny
Abstract :
In many cultures, there is a tradition of using palm prints to predict the future. The shape of the palm print is also an embodiment of destiny in these cultures. Therefore, I captured the shape of palm prints and arrange music based on the shape of palm prints in ableton live arrangement interface. Then we can listen the "sounds of Destiny"
Bio :
Xiangyu Wang Graduated from the Mobile Media Art Department of Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in 2020 Currently studying at the Royal College of Art Engaged in the creation of new media art Award experience: In 2017, he won the second prize of the Academy Award of the Chinese University Film and Television Society Won the first prize of the National Mobile Internet Innovation Competition in 2018 In 2019, the interactive work "Tentacles" won the "Best Design Team Award" of Tianjin International Design Week. In 2019, the interactive work "Confusion" participated in the "Perception Test" experimental art exhibition at Lingnan Art Museum. In 2020, he won the "Dean Award" and "Academy Award" of Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts. In October 2020, the performance work "Cyberutopia" participated in the Shanghai International Photography Festival In December 2020, the performance work "Cyberutopia" participated in the Shanghai West Bund Artistic Center "future lab" Art Education Fair
Ai Nakada
SEE THE SOUND
Abstract :
In this demo, a symbolic system is used to create a natural sounding speech synthesizer that eliminates the discomfort of sound from a human psychological point of view. Specifically, a human voice is put on a song sung by a speech synthesizer, and it is modeled by machine learning. The human voice is separated from the voice synthesis and then re-synthesized to create a smooth singing voice experience. Singing voice synthesis generate audio signals according to musical scores and lyrics. The advancements of deep learning techniques bring about its producing singing voices indistinguishable from that of human singers is possible. These sounds can be classified in various ways, such as the sound of an instrument, a pleasant sound or a bad sound. Compound tones include music, speech, sounds and noises. Music: a compound sound in which the vibrations are periodic and the frequencies of the partials are approximately in integer ratio. Voice: A sound produced by the vibrations of the vocal cords and resonating according to the natural frequency of the vocal tract. Noise: any sound, whether natural, artificial or mechanical. By using a symbolic system to decompose these sounds and superimpose them on a real human voice, it is possible to create and listen to a comfortable voice that is more like a human being than a simple machine voice.
Bio :
Music and sound are "liberation". I was born in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. In my childhood, I always singing. Then, I focus on Acoustic Psychology. My major was Cognitive psychology. My ambition is collaboration with REAL human and AI to the study of the human mind. People often get a lot of information from a work of art through their own eyes first. I critique artworks based on Psychology. Music", which is created by rhythmically generating sounds, has been found to have a variety of effects on people, such as relaxing or tensing them up. However, the music that we casually think is good can only be enjoyed if our brains undergo a process called "tonal regimentation", which involves reading the "tonality" of the melody, such as major or minor, and determining the meaning of each tone. This relationship between music and people is studied in acoustical physiology and psychology by using a variety of expertise such as 'decibel', which indicates the level of sound pressure, 'loudness' and 'pitch', which indicates the height of the sound.Sometimes, I believe, AI can help our creativity and that is what makes one great music. This is especially true in Japan, where Miku Hatsune is one of the most famous AI vocalizations. People can experience new tonal and natural sounds by combining a machine digital voice with a real live voice. I believe that these are hints for our future auditory psychological information processing.
Simin Zhong
Unwind
Abstract :
Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. Some noises can even make the listener uncomfortable. For example, some ultra-low frequency sounds could cause resonance in the brain or organs, causing physical discomfort and anxiety, and some ultra-high decibel sounds could cause severe damage to the eardrum. But some noises, such as white noise, at moderate decibels, are nothing more than a slight rustling sound, which can produce a pleasant feeling of relaxation. This kind of noise is not very loud, not harsh, and has no rhythm and the tone is very calm, similar to meditation. It seems to shut down the parts of the brain responsible for tension and anxiety and cause a distinct static tingling sensation on the skin that relaxes the body. We are very curious about this sense of relaxation caused by noise. Where does this sense of relaxation come from? Is it a relaxation triggered by unconscious consciousness? How does this auditory sense affect the tactile sense? How does this effect change in the brain? How does sound affect our brains to regulate our bodies?
Bio :
Simin Zhong: She graduated in digital media in 2020 and is currently studying for a Master's degree in digital at the Royal College of Art in London, UK. She believes that machines and human beings have something in common, and that the development of science and technology can change human beings' current cognition of life. Her practice involves an interdisciplinary approach, experimenting with various media, such as devices, images, sounds and different types of materials to explore. Through these methods, she questions human concepts such as body, gender and identity. Yang Zhou: She is currently studying for a Master's degree in Digital Direction at the Royal College of Art. As part of her practice, she has always had a keen interest in multi-sensory interaction. Nowadays, a variety of new interactive technologies and communication modes are accompanied by the development of such new technologies as well as various visual media and visual behavior, and the way people view, feel, analyze and recognize objects has changed. New media technologies have realized rich changes in visual and auditory languages.
Shuning Diao and Yihui Guan
The Greatest Conversation Ever
Abstract :
This work is composed of sounds and visuals, which combines different conversations from different people, and shows a great conversation from these voice materials. We’re living in a world where everyone can easily hear from each other. Reality shows are people’s favorite kinds of TV shows. The reason why is so obvious that we want to peep into others’ life and know every details about others’ life. At the same time, our society is falling into a surveillance society where CCTV can be found at every corner on the street, and we, ourselves, are the main cast of this life show for the people from the other side of the CCTV. It’s really weird that when we are criticizing the surveillance, while we also want to peep into others’ life. Have you ever tried to listen to others’ conversation when you are sitting in a coffee shop? Or when you’re on the train, the talking voices from those women besides you always draw your attention? We tried to record strangers’ conversations at coffee shops, bookstores, markets, etc. At the same time, we also tried taking the recorder, walking into the shopping centre and see what we can get when we’re walking by different people. We feel unsafe about our images, and even we feel unsafe about our talking and personal conversations. Eavesdropping not only spy on the privacy of others, but also reflects the anxiety and fear of people in modern society about the potential dangers carried by the increasingly advanced big data information and technology. Can these conversations recorded randomly and secretly be combined into a conversation? We edited them into a reasonable conversation while lots of amazement and dramas are generated during this conversation.
Bio :
Shuning Diao is an installation artist and a researcher. After finishing her bachelor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Renmin University of China, she is currently studying Information Experience Design in Royal College of Art. Her works mainly focus on feminism, labour's rights, and body politics. She creates interactive or traditional art installations to build interactions between her work, audience, social issues and the artist herself. Yihui Guan is a graphic designer and an artist, now studying sound design in Royal College of Art. Her works are pure, simple but powerful, mainly using graphics, video arts and sounds to compose her work. She cares about ecosystem, social issues in modern society, and influences of new media.
Krishnan Ghosh, Kailin Zhang and Qianqi Zhou
Listening to the Gems
Abstract :
The project is an interactive experiential installation of quotidian sounds layered with those unheard sounds of London. The installation focuses on certain parts of the city and enables the user to listen to the sounds of those parts. The user or the experiencer interacts with the installation by connecting and rearranging jump wires on a circuit board to play a different sound for every combination. The combinations are limited so that the user chances upon the combination that triggers a light that shines onto a part of the installation to create the shadow of a QR code which reveals the hidden aural layer to the experience. This QR code will contain those less heard sounds of London, creating a different sound based narrative about the city.
Bio :
Our group has three members from the Digital Direction(MA) program, Royal College of Art- Kailin, Qianqi and Krishnan Kailin Zhang, whose background is in painting and film, video animation directing, is now interested in interactive art and believes that interaction is a new approach to storytelling.
Qianqi Zhou: I am a designer who works with digital media and software to explore different ideas. My work questions what it means to be human while allowing audiences to critically consider who they are.
Krishnan Ghosh: I am a spatial narrator, trying to tell stories with spaces as my medium. These spaces can be physical, virtual, tangible or intangible.
Dean
I am the Artist
Abstract :
This is an animated short film that seeks to combine spatialization, virtual reality and projection to explore the potentials of truly immersive storytelling. Inspired by the collaborative creativity found in multiplayer RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, the final project aims to place its audience first in a fictional world through the visuals and limited sound capabilities of a VR headset, before gradually introducing spatialization and projection to insight true immersion. By uniting these technologies, this animated short film seeks to blur the boundaries of the imaginary and the real. For IRCAM, I aim to create a 360 demo of the story in the form of an animatic with voice lines, spatialized sound and music, to get feedback for my final project at the RCA.
Bio :
Dean is a concept and storyboard artist whose interests lie in the immersive potentials of storytelling and collaborative gaming. They read History of Art at the University of Oxford, which kick-started research into the concept of moving image as a significant factor in the formation of queer identity. Now, Dean is completing their MA in Digital Direction at the Royal College of Art, where they are exploring ways in which the moving image can evoke empathy between individuals. Prior to their time at the RCA, their work was limited to traditional mediums, two-dimensional surfaces and non-interactive products. They were creative director of Oxford University's Common Ground Journal and an illustrator for Cherwell and Alexandria Undergraduate Classics Journal. Through the learning outcomes of their masters degree, Dean intends to expand their practise into three-dimensional spaces and more interactive outcomes.
Chunyi Shen, Mamoru Watanabe and Savyna Darby
Ritual and Healing
Abstract :
In most ancient cultures, incantations have been used to heal the sick, and help the dead pass on to another realm. These sounds are slowly disappearing as modernisation takes over their land, and the tribes either are forced to relocate, or disappear altogether. We would like to explore, document and record a piece that would combine and/or recreate these original incantations and mantras, coupled with the rhythm of breathing from birth (Labour), to sickness and dying, layered with local instruments of that part of the world, mixed with the sounds of that particular environment. The sounds of life in an altered state of being- either in pain, possessed (shamanistic practices), delusional with fever, and sounds around death (prayers and mourning). A juxtaposition of this would be their dying ecosystem (falling trees, dying coral, vanishing bees, decay) where the tribes in question can no longer heal and the incantations no longer reverberate the way they used to. Death of resonance.
Bio :
Chunyi Shen is a director, poet, music producer, currently studying for an MA in Digital Direction at the RCA. She is 23 years old. She previously graduated from a BA in Films.
Savyna Darby studied "La langage du Film" as part of her undergraduate Art History degree in Paris, at L'institut Britannique and The Sorbonne. Since then, she has embarked on a film career, donning many hats from production, art direction, acting and marketing at festivals. She has 15 years of solid experience involving numerous award winning projects, including an MTV award. Savyna has recently launched her film production company with a slate of 4 projects at various stages of development. The vision is to create compelling films which seek to drive change and create a more sustainable world by adopting proven techniques to limit our carbon footprint.
Savyna recently joined the RCA on an MA in Digital Direction, to hone her existing skills and learn new ways of telling stories through emerging technologies, and to explore the various possibilities of working with Sound to restore balance in health, natural ecologies, and build a sound bank of disappearing voices in older cultures.
Mamoru Watanabe (b. 1992, Tokyo, Japan) is an artist based in London, UK. He works across a wide range of media in the form of installation, sculpture, audiovisual, sound, 2D imagery, live visuals for music, and writing.
Rong Shi
G Minor Universe
Abstract :
G Minor Universe——Experience the harmony between the universe and music through real-time interaction. G Minor Universe was inspired by the mathematical nature of the musical intervals discovered by Pythagoras 2000 years ago. Through real-time visual and auditory expression, this work explores a lot of common features of music and the universe. She tries to release sound from the universe, permits to assign to the universe the role of the Great Musician who plays on the strings.
Bio :
Rong Shi is an information experience designer and is currently studying for a Master of Arts degree at the Royal College of Art. She has won the 2020 Asian New Generation Design Exhibition Emerging Designer Award, shortlisted for Beijing International Design Week 2020 Laurel Design Award, and the Klmit02 Jplus Emerging Talent Award (Barcelona, Spain). Her works have been exhibited in Beijing, London. Reported and published by Beijing Daily, China Jewelry Magazine, and many other media and magazines;
Rong Shi's work raises critical questions about the future based on cross-fields. She believes that the world is moving towards a future immersed in virtual reality. With the disappearance of the entity form, the perception and experience of the interaction between the body and real objects are gradually disappearing. As an information experience designer, She encourages people to focus on the perception of their bodies in real life. Her vision is that she hopes to build a world where everyone can empathize.
Jiaxuan Xu
A fleeting memory deep in the mind
Abstract :
In September 2018, I spent nearly a month of practical sketching near the White Lushan Studios in Xi'an. During the sketching period, I soaked up everything I came across and made a series of experimental images. In December 2021, I disrupted and reorganized the original material to produce a new experimental short film: Transient Memory. There are four images in the whole video, three of which are based on observation, personal impressions, and personal feelings and thoughts, combined with the local culture and food of Xi'an, using collage techniques. The first thing that struck me about Xi'an was that life was on fire, and it was this atmosphere that I wanted to convey. The composition of each video is actually very simple, like two or three essays on a trip, and my role in the video is that of a spectator and a participant (the fourth video), with rational and calm observation, but also emotional perception and reflection. I imported and reworked the video, refining the visuals to be more conceptual and changing with the old cantata (an ancient Chinese opera performance form from Shaanxi province). This long-standing memory burned in my mind like fire and sunlight; it was no longer a specific view or thing but more conceptual and colorful.
Bio :
Jiaxuan Xu is a postgraduate student of Information Experience Design at the Royal College of Art and a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy. Her work is mostly experimental video, and she has also created VR games and mini-animation. Jiaxuan is currently studying interactive technology and experimenting with new forms of expression.
Lushi Liu and Yujie Wu
Disconnection
Abstract :
This project is a reflection on the sound of disconnection in the age of epidemics. It forces people to put on face masks, keep social distance, and partially isolate themselves at home and meet online. We want to use experimental sound to imply that the pandemic creates another dimension between people. The sound we hear from other’s face masks becomes muffled like we hear from another dimension, the freezing sound due to the poor zoom network connection is like a huge gap. Therefore we began to think about the hindrances to the transmission of people's voices in this context, about how such voices change the way people communicate with each other and the impact on relationships. And how we might think about things around us if all the sounds in the world were muzzled, or if we could only meet online through the internet.
Bio :
Lushi Liu,studied at Beijing Film Academy, where she completed her bachelor degree. Now she is studying at Digital Direction of Royal College of Art for her further study. Lushi Liu is a visual & digital artist and photographer. Her work focuses on the relationships between human and AI,psychology, consciousness,the opposition of self and others and designing systems for cognitive support.
Yujie Wu, based in London / Chongqing. Now study at Royal College of Art (MA-Digital Direction). I am a designer and storyteller. My projects always focus on contemporary society to critique and challenge common social phenomena. I thoroughly consider the connections between people, story and environment. I believed that the signs and information of human life and living could form a type of narrative relation in the environment of social life.
Olesea Bortniac and Jiaxi Zhou
Listening to Images
Abstract :
Our project is about what does it mean to listen to images and how listening to images reveals their multisensory and embodied nature, the haptic connections we have to photos. We will be listening closely to photography, engaging with lost archives of historically dismissed photographs of different small communities, revealing intimacy of the sound story behind each image… Stillness of images also has sound…
Bio :
Olesea Bortniac - student of the Royal College of Arts(MA Digital Direction) with filmmaking background. Jiaxi Zhou - student of the Royal College of Arts(MA Digital Direction) with Product Design background. Yujie Wu - student of the Royal College of Arts(MA Digital Direction) with graphic design background.
Matthew Chung
What's That Frequency?
Abstract :
The universe can be viewed as a myriad of different systems running feedback loops, generating data. Harmonic frequencies can be observed within both micro and macro scales throughout these systems. Sound is the interpretation of vibrating particles generating pressure waves through space and time. The average human ear can generally detect sound with the 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range; being more sensitive in the ranges of 2000Hz - 5000Hz. Within these ranges are a multitude of ambient frequencies filtered out by our brains. Outside of these ranges are a myriad of frequencies that cannot be interpreted by the human ear and brain, due to limitations in hardware. Although we are unable to hear these sounds they exist , and consequently they interact with the various frequencies produced by other systems. ‘What’s That Frequency?’ brings attention to these “invisible” sounds and explores the ways in which their data can be reinterpreted to be experienced by the human brain and questions how they might affect the other system frequencies.
Bio :
Matthew Chung is a multidisciplinary designer and artist currently based in Los Angeles and London. His researched based practice primarily focuses on the utilisation of data to create unique user experiences. He experiments with different mediums and technologies to explore the various possible ways of communicating with a larger audience. He is currently pursuing a MA in Information Experience Design at the Royal College of Art, under the Experimental Design pathway.
Yingfei Xiong
“Taste Identification by Sound”
Abstract :
The study found that children can identify smell when they are born, and as they grow older, their olfactory experience increases and they begin to lose this ability slowly. In order to express the taste vocabulary in the middle zone in an abstract sound effect, I chose six kinds of hard-to-identify tastes. The taste of the bottle was marked outside the six medical glass bottles, but there was no smell in each bottle. When the viewer opens the bottle, the corresponding sound will be played. Through the way of synesthesia, the viewer is concerned about the sound itself rather than judged by their olfactory experience.
Bio :
Yingfei Xiong thinks Art is the memory of the world. She thinks she is a good translater of the world. She believes that the quality of art should not be directly related to the level of technology. Smart artists can make good works with low technology. She has thought about which of the " technology of learning to think" and the "thinking of possessing technology" is more important. She thinks that ideas and technologies are not mutually antagonistic: ideas can be expressed through technology, while technology needs to be supported by ideas. In her understanding, this is a process of mutual translation. Therefore, we should not only focus on technical means but also pay more attention to the concepts and logic behind the technology. Here, technology acts as a translator, but the quality of translation is decisive. She graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a bachelor's degree in media arts and is currently studying at RCA Digital Direction. She focuses on the transmission of perceptions, social issues, and phenomena. As a gay female artist, cutting into themes from different angles is her strength.
Yuan Zhang
CALL ME BY MY NAME
Abstract :
This is an immersive learning experience based on vision and touch. It seeks a new way between hearing-impaired children and language learning. In this design, every hearing-impaired child can explore the elves in the "tree hole" to call, greet and make friends, which is also the learning process of language pronunciation. ordinary people can also experience the learning process of hearing-impaired children, which strengthens the connection between the two groups and changes the stereotype of ordinary people on the pronunciation of deaf people.
Bio :
Yuan Zhang, studying in the digital direction at RCA. She realized that cultures among different nationalities are hard to be understood by other people; similarly, the sufferings of different groups in life are also hard to be understood by other groups, because of the gap between contact and sense perception that detracts from understanding, however, she found that immersive art can change the gap She hopes to use it to strengthen the connection between different people and races, especially to change people
Ruohong Chen
Closer
Abstract :
Observer/ed. 20 is a moving image/spatial sound/poetry project produced with rhythms, field recording, voices, and visuals discovering the relationship between the observer and the observed, approaching from an integrated western and eastern theoretical paradigm. This project is a philosophical inquiry on the shame and expected values of those who inhabit the female body/mind and seeking the missing feminine voices (unrelated to genders) in our soul in this logic-oriented world.
Bio :
I’m a multidisciplinary artist whose works currently involve sound design, moving image, and writing. Addressing emotions, archetypes, notions of identity, and spirituality. I came from a Philosophy background and currently studying Information Experience Design MA at Royal College of Art. I create sensory journeys to abstract realities based on unspoken aspects of the unconsciousness, discovering how Art experiences can trigger deeper layers of the human psyche.
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