Today we’d like to introduce you to Kam Ying (Kamyi) Lee.
Kam Ying, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in a Chinese special administrative city called Macau where was ruled by Portuguese for four hundred years. I have a rich and complex cultural background that two very distinct cultures trying to live in one small city. Growing up in such a multicultural city makes me always feel like I also have dual personalities trying to live in one body. I mean I contradict myself sometimes. I was raised in a traditional Chinese family. I always try to follow the rules and try to live normal like everyone does and live up people’s expectations. To have a comfortable life is what my parents would want me to have. But I was not happy. I did not know what I wanted to do when I was younger. When it came to the age of applying for a college, I ended up studying communication as my undergraduate degree. I thought it was the major that I would have had the most fun that I could make films and have a chance to get into the entertainment industry. It was when I fell in love with technology. I started to explore making personal artwork that people have never done it before.
Eventually, I found a new medium to make art with technology and started to develop architectural projection shows as a video artist with a bunch of Macau local talents after I graduated from my university. Macau is great but extremely limited for making this kind of art. There were not many opportunities for me to explore what I wanted to do at that time. I knew I have so much to offer but I couldn’t make profit from it. So, I took a pause on making personal work and became a graphic designer for a lifestyle and arts magazine for a living. Fortunately, I got into the Macau art circle through work and eventually met a lot of successful artists who inspired me to continue to make art. I worked some years in the media industry and one day, I decided that I wanted to quit my job, step out and walk a new path. Three years ago, I decided to move to Los Angeles and pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in Interactive Media for performance in California institute of arts, where I met a lot of artists who I frequently collaborate with when I make artwork even until now. I started designing for theater and showing digital art projects here in LA after I graduated from CalArts. My road of life has so many twists and turns so far. I am thankful for every person I met who shaped who I am now through this journey.
Can you give our readers some background on your artwork?
I am a theatrical video designer, creative technologist and interdisciplinary artist whose major medium is technology. Growing up in a metropolis city, nature is the environment that I am not familiar with. Most children from where grew up never had a chance to see a cow in real life, not to mention seeing wildlife and such. Nature, human and society are the three main keywords of my work. Because I am so unfamiliarity, I am interested in exploring the consciousness of nature itself, our place and interaction within it, our relationship and reverence with life in all forms, and with our own weight in the society and even on this world as a whole. I use technology to expand these ideas by combining art and science in both experimental and non-traditional ways. This is why most of my works in recent years are interactive that allow the audience to immerse themselves into my artwork and become part of the artwork themselves. I want my audience to have different perspectives of thinking art and life through experiencing my work. I also love inviting different artists to make art with me. Perhaps it is because I work in theater a lot. Theater is always about collaboration. I am so used to working with creative individuals to make the giant machine working. I would bring the knowledge that I learn from theater to my art, and vice versa. Making art is about sharing within each other, within the audience, also within the artists themselves. I believe working with other people would spark the creativity and make the art we do the greatest.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
I honestly don’t know how to define success as an artist. I would argue that there is no such thing as being a non-successful or a successful artist. If I have to define it, I think if one never gives up making art is considered as successful.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I have a couple of theater productions lining up that shall not be disclosed at the moment. You might see my theater designs in various LA theaters in the coming year. Apart from theater, I am working with a couple of creatives to develop a VR theater experience called “Artificial Inheritance” which will be shown somewhere in LA in the coming year. “If a Tree Listens” which is an interactive light installation shown last year will be coming back next year hopefully.
Contact Info:
- Website: cocorico.mo
- Email: info@cocorico.mo
- Instagram: cocorico.mo
Image Credit:
Jack Wong, Rafael Hernandez
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