ZIHAN XIAO Architecture | Performance | Art
ARCHITECTURE
01 [ Herj Factory ] Because of our basic understanding of the city as well as the majority of current concerns for is about how Venice and Veni�an culture is disappearing, this specula�ve project is looking at the this urgent issue and enact urgently in the calls of its memory. Through constant conjecture rather than knowledge, this project ques�ons whether or not memories and feelings can be dealt with and talked about in the absence of materialized ar�facts and intends to disrupt the dependability and needs for memories and feelings in associa�on with materialized ar�facts.
SPECULATION: VENETIAN CULTURE DISAPPEARING During the field trip, the explora�on in Venice in the middle of the night impacted how we sustain our view of Venice. These collages showed the urgency that Venice is experiencing are overcrowding due to tourism, the lack of care about its environment, culture, history, rising sea level and all ma�ers about life and death.
The consciousness of preserving Venice, the memories beneath the physical ar�facts, the belief of the sea, the system of their trade, the urgency to make canal are the memories and feelings that have been always neglected. People who look to the city, who care about the city and who believes the city is valuable want to enact urgently in the calls of its memory.
Churches Culture Centers
Iowa State University Fall 2019 Studio Academic Work Instructor: Mitchell Squire Loca�on: Venice, Italy Team: Shuocong Yuan, Xiangqi Wen, Jie Niu, Zihan Xiao Contribu�on: Research agenda, concept, physical models, material studies, installa�ons, digital drawings
Culture Erosion Thousands of visitors come to Vencie, take photos and leave everyday. The culture and history behind the historical sites are being neglected.
Fragmenta�on
Illusion Erosion
audio perpermance link: https://www.zihanxiao. com/herj-factory
Figh�ng with water
Flood Submerging
Factuality of Memories During our field trip, we explored Venice in the middle of the night and captured “ghost” in the town. The contrast between day and night let us ask ourselves, which one is the real Venice? Is my memories true?
Religious System In the past, Vene�ans were living in the communi�es and trade happened based on parish. It is a well-organized system with a close connec�on with each other.
Flooding Issue As global warming ge�ng worse, Venice is facing a serious flooding issue. As predic�ons, Venice will be submerged and disappeared in no more than one hundred years.
Trade Parish
Ambiguity Obscure
PERFORMANCE
[ Cruel Optimism ] The Reparation of the Remorse Performer: Zihan Xiao Location: North River Valley Park, Ames, IA, USA Course: DSN S 546 Performing Architecture Professor: Mitchell Squire March 2020 While considering the sensory apparatus, it is a media that carries the essence of the presence and responds to the existence of the elements from the intimate life. In this performance, the brown paper is the “sensory apparatus“ that represents the soul of the dead tree. This performance reveals the advocation of the payback in response to what people have done to the natural environment and delivers the grief from the suffering environment.
[ PARANOIA ] Sanctuary Performer: Zihan Xiao Location: my home, Ames, IA, USA Course: DSN S 546 Performing Architecture Professor: Mitchell Squire April 2020 Nowadays, people are saying the adults’ safest place is the restroom. This is a common social situation right now. When adults are suffered from the real-life, they will go to the restroom to leave the real world temporarily and stay with themselves for a while. This moment belongs to them. For example, when people encounter difficulties, they may lock themselves in the restroom and cry it out. When college students are struggling, they may escape from real life and hide in the restroom for a while. This escaping period is a temporary comfort for people. They will be truly themselves in the restroom. After they release themselves for a while and come back to the
real world again, they will become normal.
Recently, the COVID-19 situation forced us to keep social distance and stay at home. It reveals that the way that our society can move forward is actually “not moving’’. In this way, if the COVID-19 situation becomes worse, are we going to narrow our social space down to a closed space? This performance brings everything of our daily life into the restroom. VIDEO LINK: https://www.zihanxiao.com/ugly-feelings
[ Reflecting the Environment ] Suspense Performer: Zihan Xiao Location: Ada Hayden Heritage Park, Ames, IA, USA Course: DSN S 546 Performing Architecture Professor: Mitchell Squire February 2020 This performance manifests the suspense inside the mind through visual storytelling. This film complements the manifesto for structuring the composite of the inside world of a human being. “Suspense” is a journey of exploring a desolated hill in Ada Hayden Heritage Park in winter. The howling wind, icy lake, frozen soil, and bare trees in this hill drive the performer to wear a hat, mask, and gloves to protect herself from the potential danger. While she was climbing the hill, the quiet environment aroused her fear for the unsettling environment and even evoke delusion of the non-existing danger. All of this fear made her escape from the suspense. The background sound effect reinforces the apparent fear inside her mind. “Suspense” reveals the fragile minds of people when they face their deepest fear. This performance shows how it forces people to cope with the unknown with their natural instinct. video link: https://www.zihanxiao.com/reflecting-environment
[ Being Transparent ] Body on Glass Imprints | Sorrow Performer: Zihan Xiao Location: My home, Ames, IA, USA Course: DSN S 546 Performing Architecture Professor: Mitchell Squire January 2020 Have you ever seen yourself in pain? Do you know how your body reacts to the pain? This performance is the self-realization of how I am struggling while in pain and reveals the instrumentality of the body to own its impressions. The glass captures the painful moment of myself and the distortions show the painful moments are taken into the involvement of my body. An uncontrolled myself is exposed and the deeply inside pain is expressed.
[ Drawing the Limit ] Performer: Zihan Xiao Location: King Pavilion, Ames, IA, USA Course: DSN S 546 Performing Architecture Professor: Mitchell Squire Jannary 2020 Can we mimic the drawing movement in the back? Will it be the same as we did while seeing what we are doing? This performance explores the body moving limit without seeing it in the back. It brings up to the question: are we really familiar with our body limits? Have we ever reached to the limits? video link: https://www.zihanxiao.com/ drawing-the-limit
PAINTINGS
[ Starry Night ] Painter: Zihan Xiao Media: Oil Painting on Canvas Size: 10‘’ by 20‘’ April 2021
[ Moon Arising from the Sea] Painter: Zihan Xiao Media: Oil Painting on Canvas Size: 10‘’ by 20‘’ May 2021
[ Lotus ] Painter: Zihan Xiao Media: Oil Painting on Canvas Size: 4‘’ by 4‘’ May 2021
[ Sunset at Cleveland Edgewater Park ] Painter: Zihan Xiao Media: Oil Painting on Canvas Size: 4‘’ by 4‘’ May 2021
[ City Lights in Manhattan ] Painter: Zihan Xiao Media: Oil Painting on Canvas Size: 4‘’ by 4‘’ March 2021
[ City of Stars ] Painter: Zihan Xiao Media: Oil Painting on Canvas Size: 4” by 4‘’ August 2021
PHOTOGRAPHY
[ Amsterdam ] Nikon D7100 + 50mm f/1.8G Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands April 2019
[ Amsterdam ] Nikon D7100 + 50mm f/1.8G Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands April 2019