LI SHENG LIU

“The qualities that we call beauty, however, must always grow from the realities of life, and our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty’s ends.” - Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. ‘In Praise of Shadows’

Beginning its narrative from a Japanese novel of aesthetics, this collection explores an abstract interpretation of the shadows in the dark rooms of old Japan. Encroaching upon the notion of the fear of the unknown, it nudges on the discomfort of the potential altercations that the emergence of advanced technology could bring to modern society. By merging AI, 3D printing and digital simulations with traditional draping and construction methods for its design inception, it aims to instil a technological awareness to those who are consumed by its underlying uncertainty.

Just as a shadow’s existence is dependent on an object and source of light, a future of beauty and possibilities can only come to fruition through an acceptance for the imminent technological changes we face today.