Keyi Fan

Equation of differences

Intermedia - BA (Hons)

School of Art

nfky07112@gmaill.com

Personal Website: https://keyifan.cargo.site

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An angled installation with two projection screens showing silhouettes of people behind frosted glass; below, 26 small human-like icons are arranged in a precise circle on the floor.

Project description

My work uses digital technologies to explore the tension between individuality and conformity within groups. Through 3D modelling and motion capture, combined with real-world elements such as lines and projection, I create interactive video installations that examine these dynamics.

Inspired by my summer project and personal experience, this project reflects on whether uniformity in contemporary social structures, such as schools and workplaces, limits individuals and weakens their sense of self. Drawing on philosophical theories, I explore the paradox of seeking uniqueness within sameness, while being constrained by the pressure to conform. The work evokes a constant feeling of surveillance and correction, as if the individual is always under the gaze of those who define societal rules. At the same time, the viewer is also drawn into this system, becoming part of the very mechanism of correction. Through subtle shifts in visual and auditory elements, I aim to make viewers aware of the delicate and unstable balance between conformity and individuality within social frameworks.

Equation of Difference II: dΔ/dt = γA(t) - δN(Δ,λ) + εF(Δ,t)

Keyi Fan, Installtion, ECA E21, 2025 May

Low-angle view of two angled screens displaying hazy human figures above glowing floor projections.

A viewer stands before two large frosted screens showing human silhouettes, with glowing figures on the floor.

A grid of small glowing human figures projected onto a dark floor.

A wall-sized frosted screen displays large silhouettes above a floor grid of glowing human icons.

· Modelling and Animations

L-shaped frosted glass structure with human silhouettes visible behind the panels, creating a sense of distance and obscured presence.

Frontal view from inside an L-shaped frosted glass space, showing several large blurry human figures.

Angled exterior view of the L-shaped frosted glass structure with oversized human silhouettes inside.

Close-up of two large human figures seen through frosted glass, one with a raised hand.

Frosted glass box enclosing four large indistinct human figures in white space.

The Equation of Difference I : dΔ/dt = -αP(Δ,λ) + βC(Δ,t)

Keyi Fan, Installtion, ECA E21, 2025 February

In this work, I introduced a second spatial layer above the audience by suspending a thin fabric overhead, onto which I projected bare footprints—my own—to evoke the presence of an unseen observer. This addition deepened the work’s engagement with themes of power and surveillance, prompting questions such as: who is watching us? Are we also watching others? Are societal norms simply systems of mutual observation?