Taiwan's Cross-Disciplinary Innovation in Visual Art: Chang Shuo-Yin and Yeh Hsin-Hsuan Exhibit in New York

Interactive media artworks by artists Chang Shuo-Yin and Yeh Hsin-Hsuan are currently on display at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in New York. Visitors can experience intimate domestic life and subconscious exploration through immersive installations that merge Taiwan's technological innovation with artistic expression.

A story set in a vintage Taiwanese apartment, depicting a married couple’s daily life, won the Special Jury Award in the XR Competition at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas, USA, in early 2023.

The award-winning piece, titled 'Proof As If Proof Were Needed,' was co-created by Chang Shuo-Yin and the UK-based interactive media collective Blast Theory. Visitors enter the couple’s home and choose spaces such as the living room, kitchen, or bedroom, personally experiencing intimacy or alienation, and reflecting on their own relationships with others and physical spaces. The work is now on view at MoMI in New York.

Chang recalled the origins of the project during the pandemic, when he was living in lockdown London. He described the city as feeling like a disaster zone, with everyone confined to their homes. The home, normally the most private space, became like a prison—familiar yet strangely alien.

In the exhibition, a detection system adjusts the screen’s camera perspective based on the number of visitors. Through long-take performances, the couple’s daily routines and emotional distances unfold within a confined setting.

Chang explained that the project uses basic AI technology provided by Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), typically deployed in unmanned factories or stores. He repurposed its backend functionality for artistic expression. Reflecting on his recent AI experiences, Chang noted, 'Art always follows behind cutting-edge technology.'

'Sense of Nowhere,' Yeh Hsin-Hsuan’s VR work selected for the 2025 Venice Film Festival Immersive section, is also exhibited at MoMI. Her piece uses visual and auditory elements to allow participants to explore their subconscious or reflect on lived experiences, actively directing their spatial journey and discovering connections between imagery and life.

Yeh said she hopes viewers will remember fragments like after waking from a dream—disjointed moments that spark personal reflection. The experience is deeply tied to individual memories, prompting subconscious associations.

She detailed the sound design: Chapter 1 evokes inner dialogue in darkness; Chapter 2 gradually interprets shared human elements, adding instruments shaped by interpretation and imagination; Chapter 3 enters the subconscious, blending monologue with environmental soundscapes.

The cross-disciplinary exhibition by Chang Shuo-Yin and Yeh Hsin-Hsuan runs from June 12 to September 6 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. Co-presented by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) and MoMI, the showcase brings Taiwan’s latest achievements in cultural technology and immersive art to an international audience.