Chinese Interviewed by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore

Grateful for the opportunity to be interviewed in Mandarin by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore 💐

Specially thanks to Ms. Lena for the thoughtful conversation and Ms. Oscar for the outreach! It was a wonderful experience sharing my journey—from arts management to interaction design and now virtual production.

Every step has contributed to shaping a multidisciplinary mindset, and I truly believe that diverse knowledge empowers creative thinking.

Original Interview link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DBpHo7EZ74E0ku1UmihTHw

校友空间 | 张紫弈：艺术不是孤岛，而是交流

Alumni Spotlight | Ziyi Zhang: Art Is Not an Island, but a Dialogue

中文：毕业于南洋艺术学院艺术管理专业，后入读新加坡南洋理工大学设计艺术本科专业、纽约大学帝势艺术学院虚拟制作硕士专业，获得硕士学位（MPS，Master of Professional Studies），专注于影视数字媒体、虚拟现实、实时渲染与技术艺术等方向。

English:She graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) with a Diploma in Arts Management, and later pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Design Art at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, followed by a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Virtual Production at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Her focus areas include digital media for film, virtual reality, real-time rendering, and technical art.

中文：毕业后，张紫弈成为了一位艺术及创意指导、跨媒介艺术家，擅长在艺术与科技的交汇处进行实践。怀着好奇、协作与创新的精神，张紫弈的创作将抒情诗意与人工智能、沉浸式交互等新兴媒介相融合，关注人性复杂、社会结构与全球议题，在情感深度与概念清晰之间取得平衡。无论是细腻的个体情绪，还是宏大的叙事命题，张紫弈始终致力于跨越媒介与文化的疆界。目前已经完成多个具有代表性的作品，并在多个国际平台展出，目前展览遍及欧洲各国、美国、新加坡、以及中国上海、深圳等地。

English:After graduation, Zhang became an art and creative director as well as a cross-media artist, working at the intersection of art and technology. Driven by curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, she fuses lyrical, poetic sensibilities with emerging media such as artificial intelligence and immersive interaction. Her work engages with the complexity of human nature, social structures, and global issues—balancing emotional depth with conceptual clarity. Whether exploring intimate personal feelings or expansive narrative themes, she is committed to transcending boundaries of medium and culture. She has produced a number of representative works and exhibited internationally across Europe, the United States, Singapore, and in China including Shanghai and Shenzhen.

中文：2023 年，张紫弈的项目入选奥地利林茨电子艺术节校园展并在新加坡地标建筑“Ten Square”展出。

English:In 2023, Zhang’s project was selected for the Ars Electronica Festival Campus Exhibition in Linz, Austria, and was also showcased at Singapore’s landmark building Ten Square.

Q1：当初你为什么会选择 NAFA 的艺术管理专业呢？

Q1: Why did you choose Arts Management at NAFA?

中文：南洋艺术学院是新加坡历史悠久、声誉卓著的艺术院校，拥有许多在亚洲艺术圈具有影响力的校友。相比传统的学术路线，我希望自己的大学阶段能融合“理性”与“感性”两种路径。当时其实也曾考虑商科方向，但因为从小就热爱艺术，艺术管理就成了我心中理想的交汇点：既可以深入了解艺术生态，也能够学习到系统的管理思维。NAFA的课程学习中包含了大量商业层面的内容，例如项目策划、预算编写、提案起草等，这让我对艺术产业的运作有了更系统的认知。

English:NAFA is a long-established and highly respected arts institution in Singapore, with many influential alumni across the Asian art world. Rather than following a conventional academic path, I hoped my university years could integrate both “rational” and “sensory” ways of thinking. I did consider a business track at the time, but because I’ve loved art since childhood, Arts Management felt like the ideal intersection—where I could understand the arts ecosystem deeply while also learning structured management thinking. NAFA’s curriculum includes substantial business-oriented training, such as project planning, budgeting, and proposal writing, which helped me develop a more systematic understanding of how the arts industry operates.

Q2：在NAFA的校园生活中，有哪些活动对您的个人发展产生了深刻的影响？

Q2: Which experiences at NAFA had the most profound impact on your personal growth?

中文：在 NAFA 学习期间，我结识了许多志同道合的朋友，至今我们都保持着非常紧密的联系。无论是团队合作，还是志愿服务，大家彼此扶持、共同成长。

English:During my time at NAFA, I met many like-minded friends, and we remain very close to this day. Whether through teamwork or volunteering, we supported one another and grew together.

中文：印象最深的事是我们几乎整个班级一起参与了新加坡妆艺大游行的制作志愿者工作。那段时间，我们每天放学后就一起前往排练现场，从前期准备到现场支持、舞台调度，每个人都投入了很多心力。直到最终演出那天，看到成果在观众面前呈现出来，很有成就感！这次非常难忘的经历不仅增强了朋友们之间的情感连接，也让我第一次真正体会到“艺术与社区”的融合意义。

English:The most memorable experience was when almost our entire class volunteered for the production of Singapore’s Chingay Parade. After school every day, we went to rehearsals together—contributing to preparation, on-site support, and stage coordination. Seeing everything come to life in front of the audience on the final performance day was incredibly fulfilling. This unforgettable experience not only strengthened our bonds, but also allowed me to truly understand, for the first time, what it means for “art to merge with community.”

中文：NAFA的老师们也鼓励我们多尝试跨专业合作，与不同背景的同学交流。这些校园生活片段，深深影响了我对“艺术不是孤岛，而是交流”的理解，也培养了我如今在国际团队中和不同文化背景的朋友工作的合作沟通能力。

English:NAFA’s teachers also encouraged us to collaborate across disciplines and communicate with peers from diverse backgrounds. These moments shaped my understanding that “art is not an island, but a dialogue,” and helped build the collaboration and communication skills I now rely on when working in international teams across cultures.

Q3：NAFA的校园文化对您的设计理念和风格形成有怎样的作用？

Q3: How did NAFA’s campus culture shape your design philosophy and style?

中文：在 NAFA 的校园文化中，“community”是一个非常核心的关键词。对我来说，不论是与同学共创和老师讨论，还是参与展览与志愿者活动，都是在“建立社群、为社群工作、在社群中生活、从社群中倾听、并最终代表社群”。这种强烈的社群意识影响了我对艺术的理解与表达方式，我逐渐意识到设计不只是自我表达，更是与他人建立连接的语言。从那时开始，我在作品中开始关注“群体的感受”“观众的互动”“公共性的叙事”，这也逐步演变成我后续在虚拟艺术、互动设计等方向上的探索基础。

English:Within NAFA’s culture, “community” is a core keyword. For me, whether co-creating with classmates, discussing ideas with teachers, or participating in exhibitions and volunteer work, it all meant “building a community, working for the community, living within it, listening to it—and ultimately representing it.” This strong sense of community shaped how I understand and express art. I gradually realized that design is not only self-expression, but also a language for building connections with others. From that point on, my work began to focus on collective feelings, audience interaction, and narratives rooted in public life—forming the foundation for my later explorations in virtual art and interactive design.

Q4：您的第一份工作是什么，主要负责哪些方面的设计任务？从校园到职场的过渡阶段，最大的体会是什么？

Q4: What was your first job, what were your responsibilities, and what did you learn most during the transition to professional life?

中文：在NAFA学习期间，我曾在 STPI（Singapore Tyler Print Institute）实习，参与他们的community outreach 项目。STPI 是一个融合创作、展览与艺术教育于一体的当代艺术机构，强调艺术如何真正走进公众、走进社区。在实习期间，我协助展览布置、联络公众导览和工作坊执行等工作，也参与了为设计研究中文展览导览，这让我第一次真正站在“艺术传播者”的角度去思考观众的体验。

English:While studying at NAFA, I interned at STPI (Singapore Tyler Print Institute) and worked on their community outreach programs. STPI is a contemporary arts institution that integrates creation, exhibitions, and art education, emphasizing how art can truly reach the public and become part of community life. During the internship, I assisted with exhibition setup, coordinated public guided tours, and supported workshop execution. I also contributed to Mandarin exhibition tour materials for design research—an experience that made me think about audience experience for the first time from the perspective of an “arts communicator.”

中文：在 STPI，每一场面向社区的艺术活动都强调“参与”而非“灌输”，艺术不再只是被观看，而是被共同体验。这段实习经历强化了我对“community”的理解，也激发了我对公共艺术、参与式设计和跨人群交流的持续兴趣。

English:At STPI, every community-facing art program emphasized “participation” rather than “one-way instruction.” Art was not merely something to be viewed—it became something to be experienced together. This internship strengthened my understanding of “community” and sparked a lasting interest in public art, participatory design, and communication across diverse groups.

Q5：说说几个您参与过的具有代表性的项目吧，请谈谈你在创作它们的灵感和瓶颈，又是怎样突破的呢？

Q5: Could you share some representative projects, including your inspirations, challenges, and how you overcame them?

中文：我在求学的过程中参与了很多艺术项目同时获得了国际展览的机会。《A.I. 石窟》是一个结合 AI 技术与文化遗产的虚拟艺术项目，以中国敦煌莫高窟为灵感，探讨 AI 生成艺术与工匠精神之间的关系，并思考技术如何参与文化记忆的再构建。我使用 Unreal Engine 重建了虚拟洞窟，并训练 AI 模型将当代新闻图像转化为敦煌壁画风格，尝试用“古代的视觉语言”记录当下社会。最大的挑战在于如何在技术表达与文化真实性之间找到平衡——为此我查阅大量考古资料，并在渲染器中模拟岩壁肌理与光影效果，营造一种带有“时间感”的数字空间。

English:Throughout my studies, I participated in many art projects and had opportunities to exhibit internationally. A.I. Grottoes is a virtual art project combining AI technology with cultural heritage, inspired by the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China. It explores the relationship between AI-generated art and craftsmanship, and asks how technology might participate in reconstructing cultural memory. I rebuilt a virtual cave environment in Unreal Engine and trained AI models to translate contemporary news images into a Dunhuang mural style—attempting to document today’s society using an “ancient visual language.” The greatest challenge was finding a balance between technical expression and cultural authenticity. To address this, I studied extensive archaeological materials and simulated rock textures and lighting effects in the renderer to create a digital space with a sense of “time.”

中文：《永恒的起点》是一件关于“自我热爱”与“生命节奏”的公共艺术装置，曾在新加坡地标建筑 TenSquare 展出。作品以钟表为核心装置，每平均 11 分钟鸣响一次，象征新加坡每 11 分钟迎来一个新生命。时间并非线性流动，而是时快时慢，隐喻新加坡生育率曲线的波动，也象征个体生命节奏的起伏。创作灵感来源于奥斯卡·王尔德的名言：“爱自己，是一生浪漫的开始。”我希望观众能在这个作品中感受到接纳与温柔，找到忠于自我的时间节奏。

English:Timeless Beginnings is a public art installation about self-love and the rhythm of life, exhibited at Singapore’s landmark building Ten Square. The work centers on a clock that chimes once every 11 minutes on average, symbolizing that a new life is born in Singapore roughly every 11 minutes. Time in the work is not linear—it speeds up, slows down, and loops—echoing fluctuations in Singapore’s birth rate while also reflecting the rise and fall of an individual’s life rhythm. The inspiration came from Oscar Wilde’s quote: “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” I hope audiences feel acceptance and tenderness through the work, and discover a pace that remains true to themselves.

中文：《数字灵魂与数据变形》则是一件实验性的虚拟艺术作品，我在其中构建了一个名为“蝴蝶岛”的虚拟世界，每一只蝴蝶都记录了我的情绪与思想。当蝴蝶在虚拟世界中相遇，AI 会即时生成一段基于它们的新故事——这些新的文本就像是另一个“我”，在探索灵魂是否能在人工智能的帮助下，在虚拟世界实现持续演化与“永生”。我使用 Unreal 蓝图编程与 Python 脚本开发蝴蝶的飞行路径算法，并整合 OpenAI API，实现与观众的实时交互。这是一次技术、情绪与未来想象力融合的尝试。

English:Digital Soul & Data Metamorphosis is an experimental virtual artwork in which I built a virtual world called “Butterfly Island,” where each butterfly records my emotions and thoughts. When butterflies encounter one another in the virtual space, AI generates a new story in real time based on their data—texts that feel like another version of “me,” exploring whether the soul could continue evolving, or even become “immortal,” in virtual space with the help of AI. I developed the butterflies’ flight-path algorithms using Unreal Blueprint and Python scripts, and integrated the OpenAI API to enable real-time interaction with audiences. It is an attempt to fuse technology, emotion, and future imagination.

Q6：在您的设计作品中，常常能看到一些独特的创意和风格，这些灵感通常来源于何处？如何将灵感转化为实际的虚拟设计作品呢？

Q6: Your work often shows a distinct style and creativity—where do your inspirations come from, and how do you translate them into virtual design?

中文：我的灵感来源非常广泛，有时候来自情绪、梦境、亲身经历；有时候则来自哲学、文学或社会议题。比起直接从“视觉”寻找灵感，我更常从“感受”出发，比如一个情绪、一句诗、一段对话，或是对当下社会的一种观察与回应。我平时会记录各种灵感碎片，这些素材我会通过 Sticky Notes、Pinterest、Notion 等平台或软件整理储存。等到开始一个新项目时，我会从中重新提取能量，慢慢构建出属于这个作品的语境和叙事内核。

English:My inspirations come from a wide range of sources—sometimes emotions, dreams, or personal experiences; other times philosophy, literature, or social issues. Rather than searching directly for visual references, I often begin with a “feeling”—an emotion, a line of poetry, a conversation, or an observation and response to the world. I keep records of these fragments and organize them using tools like Sticky Notes, Pinterest, and Notion. When I start a new project, I return to these materials to re-extract energy, gradually building the work’s context and narrative core.

中文：从灵感到落地的过程，我通常会经历三个阶段：概念构建 → 技术实验 → 情绪调性渲染。比如在虚拟设计中，我会先用文字或草图勾勒出空间结构和叙事逻辑，然后运用 Unreal、Touch Designer、Blender 等工具进行结构建模与动态实验，最后再加入声音、色彩、灯光等情绪元素，建立起完整的感知体验。

English:From inspiration to realization, I typically go through three stages: concept building → technical experimentation → emotional tone rendering. In virtual design, I first outline spatial structure and narrative logic through writing or sketches, then use tools such as Unreal Engine, TouchDesigner, and Blender for modeling and motion tests. Finally, I integrate emotional elements like sound, color, and lighting to construct a complete sensory experience.

Q7：您是如何从新加坡以及纽约的学习中逐步成长的？都有哪些不同新的收获？

Q7: How did you grow through your studies in Singapore and New York, and what new gains did you take from each?

中文：回顾我的发展路径，NAFA为我奠定了坚实的基础，尤其在跨学科创作与沟通协作方面的能力培养方面，教会我如何在项目和商业活动中与他人协作。无论是起草文案、撰写专业邮件这样的日常工作沟通，还是编写完整的项目提案、申请艺术基金等大型任务，都是从NAFA学习期间开始逐步练习和积累的。这些看似细碎却高度实用的能力，成为我后续升学深造、开展国际项目与推动艺术实践的重要支撑，也让我更自信地在全球语境中表达自己的创作声音。

English:Looking back, NAFA gave me a solid foundation—especially in interdisciplinary creation, communication, and collaboration. It taught me how to work with others in projects and professional contexts. From everyday tasks such as copywriting and drafting professional emails, to larger responsibilities like writing full proposals and applying for arts funding, I began practicing and accumulating these skills at NAFA. These seemingly small yet highly practical abilities became crucial support for my further studies, international projects, and artistic practice, and helped me express my creative voice more confidently in a global context.

中文：在纽约，我最大的成长在于独立性与表达力的提升。我学会了如何在与他人合作中，更清晰自信地表达自己的创作意图；同时不断被身边的朋友们影响与启发，被鼓励去更勇敢地“说出来”。如今，纽约汇聚了大量来自全球的艺术家和设计师，每天都能接触到前沿理念与不同文化背景的创作者。因为这里的竞争更加激烈，所以大家也都特别勇于表达自己的想法，这样的氛围让我持续被激发、被推动去成长。

English:In New York, my greatest growth has been in independence and expressiveness. I learned to communicate my artistic intentions more clearly and confidently in collaborations, while also being influenced and inspired by friends around me—encouraged to speak up more boldly. New York brings together artists and designers from all over the world, exposing me daily to cutting-edge ideas and creators from diverse cultural backgrounds. Because competition is more intense here, people are also more willing to voice their thoughts. That atmosphere continually energizes me and pushes me to grow.

Q8：作为一名艺术管理专业出身的艺术家，您是如何寻找到自己的职业发展的之路的？为了实现职业目标，您做了哪些努力和准备？

Q8: As an artist with an arts management background, how did you find your career path, and what efforts have you made toward your goals?

中文：有时候不是你要先“想清楚了”再出发，而是在行动中把方向慢慢走清楚。我的职业发展是随着每一个项目、每一段学习阶段逐步展开的。记得我在NAFA学习期间参加了不少志愿者活动，比如参与活动布展、跟不同团队协作、在执行过程中和大家聊天交流……我从中接触到了很多不同的行业面向，也让我更清楚自己未来想走怎样的路。

English:Sometimes you don’t need to have everything “figured out” before you begin—you clarify direction through action. My career unfolded gradually through each project and each learning phase. During my time at NAFA, I joined many volunteer activities—helping with exhibition setup, collaborating with different teams, and communicating with people during execution. Through these experiences, I encountered many facets of the industry, which helped me better understand the path I wanted to pursue.

中文：我始终坚持技能的持续学习，也保持着“三人行，必有我师”的态度。建议大家迷茫的时候，可以尝试多去和老师、学姐学长聊聊，也可以找行业里的领袖，把他们当成“我也想成为那样的人”作为一个目标，去看看他们是怎么一步步往前走，慢慢你也会找到自己的节奏。

English:I have always坚持 continuous learning and keep the mindset that “there is always someone to learn from.” When feeling lost, I recommend talking more with teachers and seniors, and also looking for industry leaders—treat them as a reference point of “the kind of person I want to become.” Observe how they move forward step by step, and over time you will find your own rhythm.

中文：无论处于顺境还是逆境，我都相信每个阶段都有其独特的学习价值。我希望未来自己能成为一位融合创意、技术与文化的艺术总监与新媒体艺术家，不仅具备独立创作能力，更能整合资源、引导团队，推动具有实验性、包容性与社会影响力的艺术项目。

English:Whether in favorable times or difficult ones, I believe every stage carries its own learning value. In the future, I hope to become an art director and new media artist who integrates creativity, technology, and culture—not only capable of independent creation, but also able to mobilize resources, lead teams, and drive experimental, inclusive, and socially impactful art projects.

中文：为了实现职业目标，我做了许多系统性的准备：一方面持续加强技术能力，例如深入学习虚幻引擎等工具，并在多个国际展览中将技术应用于真实作品中；另一方面也不断培养自己的软实力，比如撰写专业提案、组织团队协作、进行跨国沟通与项目汇报等。

English:To reach my career goals, I have prepared systematically in two directions. On one hand, I continually strengthen technical skills—such as deepening my expertise in Unreal Engine—and apply these tools within real artworks exhibited internationally. On the other hand, I develop soft skills including professional proposal writing, team coordination, cross-border communication, and project presentations.

Q9：在设计领域，个人的创造力和审美能力非常重要。您认为同学们可以通过哪些方式来培养和提升这些能力？

Q9: Creativity and aesthetics are essential in design—how can students cultivate and improve them?

中文：可以从最简单的方式开始，比如每天花一点时间去看展览、刷艺术家网站、听音乐、读书或看电影。特别是多看一些非设计类的书，比如哲学、社会学、经济学等。同时也需要习惯性地记录和整理自己的灵感碎片，或者一些走在马路上的点子，久而久之，它们会变成你作品中非常独特的“语感”。我也很鼓励大家多和人聊天，不一定都是学设计的人。和不同学科、不同背景的人交流，你会接触到很多新角度，也会刺激你对世界的感知方式。

English:Start with the simplest habits: spend a little time every day visiting exhibitions, browsing artists’ websites, listening to music, reading, or watching films. In particular, read beyond design—philosophy, sociology, economics, and more. Also build the habit of recording and organizing inspiration fragments, even small ideas that come while walking down the street. Over time, these become a unique “sense of language” in your work. I also encourage everyone to talk to more people—not only designers. Conversations across disciplines and backgrounds expose you to new perspectives and expand how you perceive the world.

中文：最后就是：不要怕做“奇怪的东西”。学生时期是你最可以自由试错的时候，不用急着让作品“成熟”或“讨喜”，大胆去实验你想做但还不确定的东西。你今天的好奇，可能就是你未来风格的种子。

English:Finally: don’t be afraid to make “weird things.” Student years are the best time to experiment freely—you don’t need to rush to make your work “mature” or “pleasing.” Be bold and try what you want to do, even if you’re not yet sure. The curiosity you have today may become the seed of your future style.