MDes Graphic Design/Illustration/Photography School of Design
Ziyi Xiang
My research and practice focused on the relationship between objects, memory, and emotion.
In the early stage, I used childhood memories as a starting point and selected objects that held personal significance for me to trigger associations. I recorded these memories and emotions in writing. As a result, I chose poetry as the main form to convey my emotional experiences with objects. Combined with illustrations, these works were compiled into a poetry collection titled Quiet Witnesses.
In the mid-stage, I returned to the content of this collection, re-analysing and extending it while considering how my poetic practices could be translated into tangible objects. I selected one poem as the main practice direction and explored the imagery of “tear stains on a pillow” through visual experiments, mainly using screen printing as my method.
In the later stage, I shifted to tissues as a new practice medium, reflecting on how private emotions might be transformed into expressions with more collective resonance. I aimed to design interactive visual works that allow audiences to contribute their emotional experiences, creating opportunities for exchange and empathy.
My work begins with deeply personal memories, but its significance grows when others share, echo, and reinterpret these emotions. By using visual language as a bridge, I hope my practice can preserve memory and spark reflection on how objects carry emotional weight in our collective lives.
Sadness on the Pillow
Sadness on the Pillow is based on the poem Pillow. I screen-printed the poem, about tears and sadness, onto the surface of a pillow, then blurred the text with water to evoke the feeling of sorrow gradually fading away, just as described in the poem: watching my grief float away in the wash. In this work, the pillow is transformed from a functional object into a narrative carrier. It speaks from its own perspective, silently witnessing the fragility of my childhood and the moments of unspoken crying. Even though the reasons for sadness may have been forgotten, the traces of tears remain, preserving the most vulnerable emotional memories.
