When Technology Meets Traditional Culture: An Interview with Fred Jiang

During the pandemic, teaching online courses could be very challenging. Fred Jiang, an associate professor at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, however, solved this problem by turning himself into virtual anime characters and received much higher participation from the students. In this interview, Fred shared with us his teaching experience during the pandemic, his cross-cultural experience as a visiting professor at MIT Media Lab, and his insights into cultural differences between China and the United States.

Fred Jiang is the vice director and associate professor in the department of digital art at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. He is also a tutor for international students at Shanghai University and a visiting professor at MIT Media Lab. His interdisciplinary background spans three areas: design, media arts, and mechanical engineering. His works focus on interaction design, wearable sensing, and immersive experience. 

1. You mentioned that you were once a visiting professor at MIT Media Lab. What was your overall impression of doing research in a foreign environment? How was it different from your experience in China?

I was at MIT for about one year, from 2018 to 2019. My team was one of the thirty research groups in the Media Lab. During my stay there, I was impressed by the inclusive and encouraging environment. There was no hierarchical distinction among professors, students, and researchers, and they all held a very close relationship. When compared to domestic institutions such as Shanghai University, I found that there were no boundaries between different departments, so I could easily collect research resources on campus and reach out to my colleagues. 

For me, the most obvious challenge was the language barrier. Since my colleagues and I come from different cultural and academic backgrounds, I encountered some communication difficulties at first. For instance, a colleague from Thailand and I once worked on a data-collecting vest, and neither of us could understand each other when we talked about what materials we would like to use for our project.

MIT Media Lab, with the Responsive Environments Group

2. Can you briefly introduce your latest research project at MIT? What was the inspiration behind the design of those projects? What are their functions?

In 2019, I made a VR project called Baguamarsh, which is supported by the Responsive Environments Group at the Media Lab. The group mainly explored how sensor networks mediate human experience through interaction and perception. I chose VR because it is now affordable for individuals and a user-friendly platform that represents digital information in an effective, story-telling way.

The project takes the idea of the unity between heaven and men from the ancient Chinese philosophy writing I Ching (Book of Changes). It combines the concept of Bagua (Eight Trigrams), which represents all the dynamics and still states of natural phenomena with multidimensional data and multimedia. When I was young, I used to learn about Bagua from my father, who was very interested in I Ching. It is truly a fascinating work because it contains one of the oldest algorithms- using Bagua to calculate fate and Fengshui. I would love to see how we could combine ancient algorithms with big data and present the result in a VR platform, hence project Baguamarsh.

Interactive VR menu

Five Natural elements and their relations

Our group designed the interactive VR menu to feature a Fengshuibagua Mirror, where we divided our environmental data into eight categories in response to the Eight Trigrams. The project Buaguamarsh was introduced as a proof of creative methods for designing correlations between different information based on the theme of harmony between humanity and nature.

Data collection at Tidmarsh Farm, MA for immersive narrative visualization project

Eight data categories divided according to the eight trigrams

3. As an educator yourself, how do you adjust your usual teaching method according to the virtual learning environment under the pandemic lockdown? Have you encountered any challenges?

As governments around the world began enforcing tighter lockdowns and continue to promote social distance, it is time for a new wave of virtual classrooms. One of the biggest challenges is to keep students motivated in their studies. To help increase not only attendance but also students’ engagement, I developed a software that can transform me into virtual characters such as Iron Man and Hatsune Miku to teach my students in a virtual setting. I used the software as part of my undergraduate and graduate teachings and have gained much higher participation and positive feedback from my students. Because of this software, my undergraduate courses in digital art won the first prize in the Shanghai Art and Design Teachers Teaching Competition.

Local news on Fred’s innovative teaching methods

4. Based on your own experience transitioning from studio art to virtual and interactive design, what is the connection between different subjects? What are your thoughts on the future of interdisciplinary studies both in China and the U.S.?

At the undergraduate stage, students should not be limited to learning classroom knowledge. They should also explore other fields of study based on their own interests. In regard to the future of interdisciplinary studies, I believe that the boundaries between disciplines will gradually diminish. 

During the pandemic, domestic internet users increase substantially as many activities, such as exhibitions, classes, purchases, are transferred online. Educational resources and knowledge will be decentralized and distributed to a wider extent so that a comprehensive learning environment will replace specifications in one field of study.

5. What are your suggestions for students that want to pursue higher education in art in general?

For students who are concerned about finding a job in the future, media arts or digital arts is the best choice. To do well in those subjects, they should first be interested in both computer science and design because these subjects are closely related and can help you understand higher-level digital arts more comprehensively. Second, students need to do research on universities with strong CS and art majors. Finally, they should have self-directed learning skills in order to become active learners and independent researchers. 

One major problem for students who pursue art in China is their language barrier. For example, most students of mine know the concepts in digital arts very well but their English expression and writing skills are poor. This may be a direct result of the Chinese Secondary test system for art which puts a strong emphasis on practical art skills, such as sketching and watercolor painting, but less on general education, such as their foreign/second language proficiency. 

I would suggest they gain more experience through exchange programs in other countries because even though what might be taught in those programs might be similar to what’s taught in China, our students can gain new perspectives and look at things from a different angle so that they are not just seeking an interdisciplinary education, but more importantly, cross-cultural experiences as well.

To learn more about Jiang Fei’s project, Baguamarsh, please visit https://www.media.mit.edu/people/fredjf/overview/

To learn more about Jiang Fei’s virtual classroom under Pandemic and other information, please visit https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/PXuI3-OjJnxsTC-WFqvU6A

Interviewer: Heidi Yuan

Editor: Emily Zhang, Veronica Lin