Shi Weili

Artist Biography

Shi Weili is an artist and technologist who creates unconventional experiences to provoke contemplation. While most of his artworks involve substantial use of technology, he always tries to infuse them with a dose of Zen mindfulness.

In Terra Mars Series (2019), Shi trained artificial neural networks to present artistic imagination about Earth and Mars with visual reference to each other, and asked an open question: If images of our planet arouse people's poetic emotions, would an alien planet that resembles our own evoke the same feelings or different ones? In Shan Shui in the World (2016—ongoing), he transformed geographical data—such as information about all buildings in Manhattan—into Chinese shanshui (山水, mountain-water) paintings, and revisited the ideas in this art form of ancient scholar-officials: the relationship between urban life and people's yearning for Nature, between social responsibility and spiritual purity.

Artwork of Shi have been exhibited in museums, galleries, and art festivals, including National Museum of China, Beijing, China; Ars Electronica Center, Linz, Austria; New York Hall of Science, New York, United States; and Science Gallery Bengaluru, Bengaluru, India. Shi has presented his art projects in academic conferences, including SIGGRAPH 2019 and IEEE VIS 2016, and has published art papers in academic journals, including Leonardo and IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications. 

Shi holds an MFA in design and technology from Parsons School of Design and an M.Eng. in computer science and technology from Tsinghua University. As an Adjunct Professor, Shi taught graduate courses on creative technology at Parsons School of Design. Besides his artistic practice, Shi works as a senior developer at Bluecadet in New York, where he creates interactive experiences for museums.

Artist Statement

Through my artistic practice, I seek to reflect upon the contemporary and future world through the lens of ancient Chinese philosophy.

I'm particularly interested in revisiting the worldviews, values, and aesthetics of ancient Chinese scholars in the context of the current human condition resulting from scientific-technological advancements and global social changes. Are the ancient ideals and methodologies applicable to the cosmic scale? To the post-human age? Do we still face the same dilemmas our ancestors faced? Can we learn from their experiences? How do we practice the ancient teachings of being present? How can we regain connection with ourselves, others, and Nature?

My creations come from my long-term focus on a few art genres (e.g. Chinese literati art, generative art) and my contemplation about a variety of topics (e.g. time and space, AI). They naturally and sincerely represent my voice resulting from my life experiences and spiritual pursuits. It is important for me to base my concepts on inspired "logical leaps" (e.g. generating landscapes from urban data). I hope my art projects can have the power of Zen koans in provoking the "great doubt" and moments of enlightenment.

Creative Technologist Biography

A creative technologist and digital media artist, Shi has been creating interactive and immersive experiences for museums and cultural institutes since 2016. As a senior creative technologist at Gallagher & Associates, he works closely with a diverse team of designers, developers, writers, and producers to apply cutting-edge technologies to meaningful human-computer interaction and effective storytelling. From concept design and prototyping to budget estimation and production, Shi participates in all stages of the creative process.

Shi excels in a variety of creative technologies and techniques, including Unity, Cinder, openFrameworks, TouchDesigner, shading languages, generative art, machine learning, computer vision, projection mapping, physical computing, etc. He has created award-winning projects for prestige clients such as MIT Museum, Christie's, The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, W. L. Gore & Associates, Independence Visitor Center, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The National Association of Broadcasters, The National WWII Museum, Independence Seaport Museum, and The Royal Ontario Museum.

About My Name

Preferred Order: Shi Weili
In Chinese: 石伟力