Today we’d like to introduce you to Yixuan Cai.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m an architectural designer and multimedia artist with a focus on digital environment visualization, currently based in LA. Born in Nanjing, China – a city where traditional wood palaces harmoniously coexist with modern skyscrapers, I spent a lot of time during childhood lingering at museums that are often built as a restoration of relics from ancient architecture. The intricate spatial qualities and exquisite structural details within these spaces gradually ignited my passion for architecture and the surrounding environment. I couldn’t stop daydreaming about the stories that might have unfolded within these enchanting places.
Following the calling from my heart, I came to the University of Minnesota to study architecture, where I acquired a solid foundation in understanding and designing architecture in a logistic and realistic way, skills that have since become integral to my profession. However, part of that childhood daydream remained unfulfilled – the realm of imagination. I decided to come to Los Angeles to continue my graduate study at SCI-Arc, where I have the freedom to explore various methods of bringing my architectural dreams to life. Here, I could craft both static and dynamic environments that reflected the passage of time and the generative process. Notably, my graduate thesis project, Stage Magic, was awarded the Merit Graduate Thesis Prize and earned finalist recognition in the CGArchitect 3D Award competition.
After graduation, I joined the renowned architectural firm Perkins&Will and also have partnered with Nero He, the leader of HeXagōn, to delve deeper into various media addressing movement and passage of time within our daily surroundings. My work and collaboration have been shortlisted in competitions and have been showcased in exhibitions spanning London, Indianapolis, Chengdu, and online galleries.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Although exciting, it is still hard to manage time and techniques that are both demanding from my almost two ways of architectural explorations – the practical and experimental. For example In the beginning I found myself navigating two entirely distinct sets of software for my professional work and personal projects, demanding significant time and effort to master each. Upon reevaluating the underlying concepts and principles in each realm, I started to realize how these two ways could actually intersect more often than I originally thought. Sometimes, the distinction just lies in the degree to which they are applied. They nourish from each other and together harvest into a whole. The goal, after all, is not perpetual experimentation; rather, it is to transform experimentation into a new standard of practicality. I am now looking at various ways of expanding practical results to my latest experiments. At the same time, it is also important to keep self-learning and collaborating.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work centers at the intersection of logical tectonic composition and fictional abstraction of natural surroundings. I draw inspiration from the intricate process of interweaving seemingly disparate elements into a harmonious and heterogeneous whole. Through my work, I’ve envisioned a future living environment that is not solely influenced by the rapid advancement of digital technology but is also shaped by an alternative manifestation of the natural world. This concept was illustrated in the work “Prosthetic Landscape” as well as “Traces”. Motion and movement serve as the conduits establishing connections between the digital representation and the tangible physicality, accentuating the process of making and growth. Such an idea was illustrated in works like “Stage Magic” and “Daitioi”.
What does success mean to you?
To me, success is discovering a true calling from the heart and being able to turn it into a career. While at the same time having the capacity to contribute to the betterment of our community, no matter how small the impact may be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cai-yixuan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yixuan.cai_arch.process/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yixuan-cai-643880b2/
Image Credits
Personal Photo, by Yixuan Cai, 2023 “Prosthetic Landscape”, by Yixuan Cai, 2021 “Stage Magic”, by Yixuan Cai, 2021 “Butterfly”, by Yixuan Cai, 2023 “Traces”, by Yixuan Cai, 2021 “Daitioi”, by Nero He & Yixuan Cai, 2021
