Sian Fan, digital artist, working and living in London. Photography © Sian Fan

1.Could you introduce yourself and the purpose of your artistic work?

My name is Sian Fan and I am an interdisciplinary artist, working with movement, the female body, and technology to explore human experience in the digital age. Drawing on my background in contemporary and aerial dance I suspend, fragment, and augment the body via choreography and digital techniques, as a method of exposing the underlying effects of technology.

My work seeks to discover new ways for us to coexist with technology in our increasingly digitised and hyper-connected world.

2.How important are social networks in your business?

Social networks are hugely important to my work. They are a platform for me to broadcast my practice as well as a place to find inspiration and to communicate with others. They provide an opportunity for connection and for sharing.

Recently one of the films, ‘Spirit Corp.’ aired on BBC4 and as a way of connecting with my friends and family, I had an online screening party to watch it together. We all tuned in at the same time and chatted throughout the broadcast over social media.

3.Could you share with us the impact of the crisis on the promotion of your work and the way you are facing this situation?

The crisis has inspired me to be more innovative and active in promoting my work. I have been devising new ways to deploy my work online, as well as focusing on making it accessible to as many people as possible. Although it is, of course, a difficult situation to adapt to, it has encouraged me to think about the Internet as a specific location for work to inhabit and flourish.

I’m a graduating student at Central Saint Martins, so the crisis has currently postponed my degree show. In response to this, I reconfigured my artwork to create a live-streamed performance that could be performed and experienced remotely.

This translation of my work gave it a new meaning, pushing me to think about the limitations and differences between virtual and physical bodies, particularly in light of our new sensitivity to the fallible nature of the physical body. I’ve also been working on an online exhibition, called Portal1.0 which I built and curated using game design software.

I constructed a 3D virtual gallery space that can be explored on your browser. I wanted to transport these artworks from their quarantined studios into a gallery space, where they can be shared and experienced.

4.What’s your favorite museum and why?

My favourite museum is the V&A in London. They have the most beautiful and immersive exhibitions, as well as a great program of events. It is a wonderful place to visit and a constant source of inspiration for me.

Interview by Louise Coussieu Baylac, contributor

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Sian Fan on social networks: Instagram

Sian Fan is a mixed media artist working in London. She has exhibited internationally with venues including Tate Modern, British Council, and the ICA, as well as producing work with Channel 4, the BBC and Google. Her work combines movement, the female body, and technology to explore disembodiment and human experience in the digital age.

Drawing on her background in contemporary and aerial dance she suspends, fragments and augments the body via choreography and digital techniques, as a method of exposing the underlying effects of technology. She explores the relationship between the physical and the virtual through animation, 3D scanning & printing, and virtual & augmented reality, employing these technologies in conjunction with the body to address the disembodied experience of being online.