Chengtao Yi

My Thesis is a life-size replica of my upper body that has multiple functional parts , imagine a human version of Swiss army knife, with my face on it.

https://www.chengtaoyi.com/#/chengtao-designed-by-chengtao/

Description

I am literally making myself. By replicating myself and combining various functionalities with my body parts I tried to investigate the boundary and connections between utilitarian objects, critical sculptures and human bodies. Trying to answer the question: “What is the ultimate product?” and “What is the ultimate role for designers?”
The goal for product design in the modern consumer age has been always about being as friendly and humanistic as possible. Hardware, software are trying to become as intelligent and empathetic as us human. New breakthroughs in artificial intelligence has pushed this idea even more. We might have an ultimate product that can handle all the things at requests, and understands all our orders, even feel what we feel. That make me wonder what if, essentially, all we want to have is just another human that serves us and obeys us unconditionally. Products are becoming humans, and at the same time, we are morphing into products. My thesis is an art installation/sculpture that attempsa to illustrate this state and answer the questions.

Classes

Thesis