Barbie’s Art Portfolio - Thank you
Nature Revealed, Reproduced, Returned
Industrial Designs
Through a course on bio-inspired materials science, I learned that Nepenthes pitcher plants have hydrophobic inner walls that allow their prey to slide down smoothly. The bottle-shaped body, slippery walls, and liquid sparked the idea of designing a shampoo set inspired by the pitcher plant. The inner walls of the shampoo bottles mimic the pitcher plant to achieve minimal shampoo retention, greatly reducing waste from unused viscous shampoo. By modeling and recreating the smooth curves and intricate traces of the plant’s natural morphology, the shapes of the bottles resemble different species of pitcher plants, while the vibrant tints of natural pigment were mimicked using textile dye. Coir is the perfect choice for crafting the outer coating, incorporating the eco-friendly concept of biodegradability but also ensuring the waterproof requirements of the shampoo bottles. This design set allows humans to hold reproduced fragments of nature in their hands, baptized by its genius and wisdom, and ultimately return them to nature, grateful for its blessings.
Click the BOTTLES to view more:
| Medium：3D printing, coir, textile dye Size：Irregular Year：2024 |
Making process:
f=V/λ
Installation
Each organism produces its own sound, whether through their unique voices or the waves of vibrations from their movements, and strings are the basis of this grand chorus. By sensing and producing sounds, we interact with our environment and recognize our shared existence. Thus, we are all interconnected, and strings are the basis of this web of connection, weaving organisms to ecosystems. The acrylic cube represents a block taken from our planet’s vast ecosystem, with transparent walls allowing sunlight to create a natural illuminating effect. The crystal scatters light into various wavelengths, signifying the colors and vibrancy of different lives of this world. Each string and its unique vibration illustrates the sound of an organism. Together, the strings are arranged in the shape of a Möbius band: the concept of infinity and equilibrium indicates the balance of the food webs, where all interconnected creatures depend on each other for the entire system to flourish and be sustained.
Click the BUTTERFLY to view more:
Medium：Acrylic board, UV printing transfer, violin and cello strings
Size：35 cm*35 cm*35 cm
Year: 2024
Making process:
Staying Behind;
Dreaming Future
Industrial Design
Mecha and the future—the essence of science fiction is the building and rearranging of giant mechanical robots and machines as future fighters. Inspired by Gundam and the aesthetics of the Japanese anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” I decided to construct a smaller mecha piece that accentuates the human aspect, where mechanical technology acts as a subsidiary aid to enhance human abilities. Headphones are the most frequently used object in my daily life, but they also reminded me of the headphones and speaker sets worn by officers and operators. Therefore, I carefully selected and rearranged pieces from my Gundam model onto a set of vintage headphones. Then, I recolored the plastics to give them a more matching and futuristic color of blue. Interestingly, while modern technology has trended towards compact, efficient design, the massive robotic future fighters become symbolic of past science-fiction. In this sense, the mecha juxtaposes reminiscence for the past with hope for the future.、
| Medium：Headphones, Gundam plastic model, eco-friendly water-based paint Size：Irregular Year：2023 |
Do PE Seas Dream of PET Fish?
Digital Painting
The ocean faces a grave threat: it's becoming inundate with plastic waste. The use of saturated, bright fluorescendt colors combined with sharp linings alarm the poisoned, polluted environment. The texture of the waves, fish, crabs, shells and coconut trees are derived from plastic bags, bottles and other plastic products, demonstrating the extent of plastic buildup. The subversive neon pink sky, bloody fishing nets, and unnatural blue sun signal the planet’s ominous fate. Yet humans continue to litter.
The ocean's death reveals the theme of reshaping. Plastic pollution is "reshaping" the ocean's environment. Simultaneously, this crisis prompts humanity to re-examine and “reshape” our relationship with the marine ecosystem, raising awareness of the urgent need for its protection.
| Medium：Digital art using procreate Size：4096 px*3072 px Year：2024 |
Making process:
My Dolosoro
Graphic Novel
The pandemic year winter was exceptionally cold, with the bitterly freezing air creeping under my clothes. My mom was on an urgent phone call, and the piercingly painful words hit my heart.
As a child, I wasn’t very fond of playing the violin due to the monotonous practice of scales and pieces for graded exams. However, joining the orchestra and meeting Mr. Gary Sanderson changed everything. As my best conductor, music teacher, and mentor, he loved to say, “Think outside the box,” which provided me with infinite curiosity, inspiration, and passion. He gave me the courage to push forward and rekindle my love for all forms of artistic expression. This graphic memoir holds my deep gratitude, built piece by piece, note by note over 9 years of my life. I always believe that if an accidental encounter at a London Broadway Show were to bring us together again, I would tell you all about it.
Click to view complete:
Medium: Digital art using procreate
Size：210 mm*297 mm, 16 pages
Year：2022
Rabbit Hole 1:
Alice and the Beanstalk
Painting
| The contrast between the realistic portrayal of the tree and the more abstract, David Hockney-style background symbolizes the contrast between reality and illusion. However, the colorful, fantastical scene demonstrates a sense of confinement and restriction as the strictly ordered lines only follow two directions—vertical and horizontal—firmly dividing the color blocks. In contrast, the strength and vitality presented by the tree break free from this imprisonment, standing steadily with the greenness of life. |
| Medium：Oil painting Size：30 cm*40 cm Year：2023 |
Rabbit Hole 2:
Fountain of Youth
Painting
Although surrounded by orderly structures and rectangular geometries, the continuous stream of the fountain creates a distorted and disfigured water surface on the pool. The lightened palette and the darker shadows are mixed together by the freely flowing ripples, creating a dynamic energy. At the same time, the twisted pattern of the water’s flow generates a mesmerizing effect, drawing the viewer to go beyond the boundaries and fall for the allure of a fresh spirit.
| Medium：Oil painting Size：30 cm*40 cm Year：2023 |
Wingardium Leviosa
Painting
As I flew across the blue dome, I collected the pigment of the sky and a piece of fluffy cotton, finishing my painting as I dreamed. The Universe is my Studio.
| Medium：Oil painting Size：30 cm*50 cm, three canvas Year：2024 |
The Wish; NSO Winter Concert; Obsessed
Posters
As a musical theater actress with the New Shanghai Orchestra, I also took on the role of the designer of posters and merchandise for our concerts and performances.
“The Wish”: Tomorrow is Peter's 10th birthday. With “The Wish” of growing up faster, he calls up his friends to make this grand wish come true together. However, an equal price has to be paid, with magic.
The Winter Concert features jolly songs such as the Nutcracker Suite and a final ball where the guests dance to beautiful melodies. The passion for art and love for human connections between us lit up the same fire over different hearths.
OBSESSED! For Lingling, a 15-year-old high schooler from a relatively strapped family, it’s win or bust as the midterm test approaches. Failure means her mom, obsessed with academic success, will withdraw her educational funding and condemn her to work in the family hot-pot restaurant. As she befriends Curtis, a rich Chinese-American boy returning to Shanghai, an opportunity opens to save her future with a daring, dangerous plot. But just as it seems the plan will succeed, it all goes horribly wrong...
| Medium：Digital art Size：210 mm*297 mm (posters), 210 mm*70 mm (ticket) Year：2019, 2021 |
How to Live to the Fullest in a Historical Fiction Universe
Video
Welcome to Bianliang during the Northern Song Dynasty. His Imperial Majesty invites you to a royal tour around the imperial city. Please get into the carriage, and our tour will begin…
| Medium: Digital art using procreate, iMovie Running time: 01:48 Year：2022 |