Artist on Paper |  Daphne Ting-Yu Chu: Art in the Digital Era: Preserving the Human Touch in Technological Creations | Editorial on Art Yourself Atelier

As a new media and light artist, my creative journey has always centred around the profound integration of art and technology. With technology has become an inseparable part of our lives and art originating from humanity's interpretation of life experiences, merging these two has become my method for reflecting contemporary society in my work. This fusion is not only a medium for expressing emotions and thoughts but also fosters a deeper understanding of our shared human experience to connect us more profoundly with ourselves and each other.

I specialize in creating audiovisual installations that foster interactive and immersive experiences. I want my audience to transcend the role of passive observers, becoming active participants who integrate themselves into the essence of the artwork. By leveraging interactive technology, viewers shape their experience with the artwork through their responses in real-time, establishing a profound personal connection with the piece. With a background in lighting design, I often place light at the heart of my creations. Despite its intangibility, light wields a powerful narrative ability, capable of shaping spaces, evoking emotions, and provoking thought. In my work, light seamlessly merges with sound, imagery, and other elements to craft multisensory experiences.

In contemporary society, technology constantly redefines the boundaries of art, encouraging artists to transcend disciplinary limits and integrate knowledge from computer science, data analysis, engineering, and mathematics into our creations. This interdisciplinary approach prompts artists to be not only creators but also innovators and researchers. Furthermore, The development of artificial intelligence makes creating art more accessible for anyone, but it also compels us to rethink the nature and value of art. The rise of AI-generated art forces us to question the nature of art: What is art? Who is an artist? And how do we preserve the human touch in an increasingly automated world? In this context, we should focus even more on our reflection and exploration of life experience as a human, emphasizing humanity and placing technology as a means to amplify human creativity.

As an artist who works with technology, I see it as a powerful tool, enabling more diverse forms of expression and offering new perspectives on experiencing art and life. In my work "Parallel," I utilize interactive technology and audiovisual effects to concretize the complexity of human relationships. This project stemmed from the shared experience of my working partner and me as immigrants to the UK. Through this work, we aim to convey the myriad emotions, challenges, and boundaries we've encountered while forming human connections in a foreign country. However, we're not attempting to construct a narrative through Parallel. Instead, with interactive technology, we aspire to visualize a form of human connection that everyone can genuinely feel and engage with. Parallel is about us, yet it transcends our experiences; it’s about you and every individual.

As I continue to explore the convergence of technology and art, I remain committed to the core belief that human emotion and connection should always be at the forefront. By harnessing the power of technology, we can create art that not only captivates the senses but also resonates deeply within the human spirit, ultimately enriching our understanding of ourselves and each other. This journey is not just about embracing new tools and mediums; it's about ensuring that, amid rapid technological advancements, we never lose sight of what makes us truly human.

Daphne is a London-based new media artist and lighting designer for interactive installations, spatial experiences, audiovisual arts, and live performances. She has participated in over 200 lighting productions and exhibited her personal artworks on the global stage. They have been showcased in over 50 cities worldwide, spanning prestigious arenas such as MGM Grand Garden Arena (Las Vegas), The O2 Arena (London), AccorHotels Arena (Paris), Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney), Singapore National Stadium, Stadium Negara (Kuala Lumpur), Nest-type Beijing Olympic Stadium, in addition to galleries and art festivals including Ars Electronica Festival (Linz), the London Festival of Architecture, Artsect Gallery (London), Five Art Gallery (Taipei), Ugly Duck Gallery (London), Collect Art Gallery (Tbilisi), and more.

Her works combine visual/ sound art and technology to create interactive and immersive experiences. As a former researcher in the Interactive Architecture Lab, her research explores the disconnection between mind and body in tangible physical space and perceived space. She is interested in creating shifting perceptions of fluid space in continual flux through sensory perception to reshape people's experiences.

2024 · London, UK — "About Time", ASC Gallery
2024 · London, UK — "Violent Bodies", Ugly Duck Gallery
2024 · Tbilisi, Georgia — "Digital Art Exhibition", Collect Art: Art Gallery
2024 · London, UK — "An Undefined Covariable", ArtSect Gallery
2023 · London, UK — "Bring into Existence", Here East
2022 · London, UK — "DFPI Project Fair", Here East & Studio Wayne McGregor
2022 · London, UK — "The Fifteen Show 2022", 22 Gordon Street
2022 · Linz, Austria — "Welcome to Planet B", Ars Electronica Festival
2022 · London, UK — "London Festival of Architecture", Here East
2022 · London, UK — "Interactive Architecture Lab Project Fair", Bloomsbury Theatre

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