As a bio-inspired designer and interdisciplinary researcher, Shontelle Xintong Cai is currently based in Toronto and London. Her works explore the intersections of design, art, science and technology. She experiments with information visualization, experience system and multimodal interaction with audiovisual communication technologies, programmable materials, ‘moist media’ and life science data. Her art and design practices are influenced by her academic background related to visual communication, digital media studies and plant physiology. She considers Design as Discussion: a design protocol centring around the non-human and ecological approach by sensory narratives and fictional objects. She critically and parametrically engages in designing the innovative dialogues between complex scientific knowledge and cross-sensory experience. To practice the design methodologies and transmedia storytelling via scientific systems and computation, she opens the discussions about the inherent values of more-than-human participatory research, technoscientific interventions, synthetic bio-design, political ecology and objecthood to the potential audience. She has shared her creative practices and design paradigm through several workshops, symposiums and exhibitions in China, Canada, Franc and the United Kingdom.
Education:
OCAD University-BDes Graphic Design,With Completion of a Minor in Digital & Media Studies (2016-2020)
Royal College of Art- MA Information Experience Design, with distinction of degree dissertation (2020-2022)
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Index
|| 2022
Machine Learning in Visualization and Sonification; Morphology; Biotextile
#AcrossRCA is an annual, week-long programme that offers students the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines.
Make Your Art & Design Process More Ecological
Session Leads: Shontelle Xintong Cai, Lea Rose Kara Team Members: Jia Fei and WenQing Yao
Duration: 2 days
Session Outline: In
the context of post-humanism, the ecological connections and inherent
worth of human and non-human beings are discussed in depth. How can we
learn and reflect on theories of deep ecology, whilst at the same time
reviewing the self from an ecological perspective? If other agencies are
imbued with meaning or feeling of the sublime, would it be helpful for
humans to reconsider their connections to those other agencies, and
ecological space? As contributors to the creative field, how can we
explain and create a sublime experience for our audience?
The
two-day workshop aims to analyze and explore the possibilities and
methodologies of creating the sublime by introducing a sensory
experience. Since the workshop will be organized as a continuous
session, with both days being tightly interconnected, we encourage
participants to attend both days to gain the full experience. Day 1 will
introduce the framework of deep ecology and the sublime and day 2 will
enable you to experiment and put that theory into practice. Participants
will be expected to contribute to group discussions and collaborate
with others with the aim of presenting their ideas and outcomes to the
big group.
Keywords: deep ecology, environment degradation, landscape, sublime, sensory experience.
Timetable:
Day One - Thursday 25 th February (Talk) 11am - 1pm GMT Theories
Introduction of Deep Ecology
Introduction of the Sublime
Case Studies
Introduction to Deep Ecology and the Sublime in art
Joseph Beuys and Olafur Eliasson (15 mins) do we need to include the time for this?
Marina Abramovic and the Eden Project
Q + A session
Day Two - Friday 26 th February (Workshop) 11am - 1pm GMT
Summary of Day 1’s ideas and intro into the workshop’s aims
Breakout room challenge 1
Presentation of ideas/artworks to the general group + intro to challenge 2
Breakout room challenge 2
Presentation of ideas/artworks to the general group
Concluding thoughts, questions and ideas for future work
