Digital Dysphoria

Parsons Thesis
Year: 2023
Duration: 6 weeks

In the digital age, there is an increasingly blurred separation between our screen-based interactions and "real-life" experiences. As we grow accustomed to the logic of digital interfaces, our relationship to physical reality starts to feel less familiar. For instance, one may feel the urge to press "undo" in the event of a coffee spill.


This project aims to examine these shared mental representations through a series of daily tasks reimagined in a digital future where the boundary between real and virtual is gradually blurred. By using the “desktop” as a common interface between these two worlds, the project starts by using digital commands to manipulate the state of physical objects, progressing to forming entirely new objects, and ultimately leading to a chaotic reality where the two worlds are completely fused.

Part I. Daily commands

desktop commands assist with daily tasks, manipulating the physical properties of objects.

Part 2. Gestures

a world where the digital interface disappears, and gestures are seaminglessly integrated into the physical world.

Part 3. Chaos Reality

A chaotic reality where the digital reality form entirely new objects, or causing destructions.

Bio-material

Year: 2022
Duration: 4 weeks

Every year, approximately 2 million tons of plastic waste enters the oceans. This project is an exploration into gelatin-based bioplastic derived from food waste, examining its potential as an alternative to acrylic. The project investigates its capability to replicate key properties of acrylics, including hardness, color range, transparency, texture, thickness, moldability, and heat molding.

Part I.  basic properties

Existing gelatin-based bioplastic are often gel-like or of a soft sheet material. I first experimented with the ratio of the ingredients to achieve a rigid, hard plastic like material. Then, I casted a range of thickness (5mm, 3mm, 1mm), colors and finishes (glossy, matte) by mixing natural dye with gelatin, glycerin and starch. 

Part II.  moldability

In this part, I experimented with different fabrication methods to create 3D forms and applied designs using gelatin.

↓ The vessels are slip-cast in cylindrical containers. Throughout the drying process, the gelatin shrinks, creating the natural curves in the vessel.

↓ Natural curves formed during drying

Heat molding

the heat molding property of plastic and acrylic allows them to be formed into various shapes and vaccuum formed. Gelatin sheets also soften when exposed to heat; however, they don’t melt. Similar to acrylic, they become a softer sheet and can be shaped by hand and molds. When they cool down in about 30 seconds, they take on the formed shape. Additionally, they create interesting textures that produce reflections under light similar to those of glass. 

Breeze lamp

Year: 2022
Duration: 4 weeks

Inspired by the clothes left on the clothesline on a sunny day, as the wind pass by, its fabric dances and floats in the air. I aimed to celebrate this fleeting moment and bring the sensation of a gentle breeze into the interior space. This series of lamps comprises a hand-molded acrylic shade, a curved steel pole, and a tilted concrete base, are designed to evoke a sense of movement and play with sensations of balance.

Dimensions: 30’’ in height
Material: acrylic, steel, concrete
Light source: Omni-directional LED

Axxidental Death

Year: 2019
Duration: 2 weeks

A recipe book with instructions on how to die accidentally.

Re-examine books

Year: 2018
Duration: 4 weeks

Words are in letters,
Letters are on pages,
pages are in books.
This project examines the relation between text-only books and the reading experience. 

PART I

The project first explores and showcases the psychology behind printed texts through research on text legibility, visual accuracy, reading speed, and the use of eye movement. The results of this inquiry are explored in a prototype of an “ideal” text-only book design that offers the best reading experience with functionality and feasibility in mind.

PART II

The second part builds on this research and proposes ideas of non-traditional ways to improve the reading experience through interaction and the utilization of eye movement to eliminate fatigue.

PART III

The third part breaks away from the traditions, orders, and norms that we take for granted in a book, for instance, the form of the book itself. It encourages the audience to step out of these rules and reassess their expectations of the world.