Fanrui Sun on NFTs, Art, Fashion, RHEOLOGY & More

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Fanrui Sun is one of the most interesting and talented designers/artists coming out of China, captivating the audiences with her digital creations and divergent thinking. Sun has studied at Lumiere, and is a student at the International Fashion Institute of Culture. She seeks to find the boundaries of the future of fashion expression. In 2022, she will continue to explore new media and possibilities for clothing in the current environment, while being active on various platforms as a digital clothing designer, exploring as many options as possible for clothing in the new era.

What is the cultural scene like in China?

We have 5,000 years of Chinese history and 56 ethnic groups, so our culture is so rich and diverse that it is difficult to summarise it directly.

Where does your passion for creating digital art come from?

It comes from observation and perception of life, I guess. I love anything that is interesting or beautiful.

Who are the avatars / characters in your art pieces?

No specific figures have appeared in my work yet, and the models used so far are all tweaks made in the software category. Later there will be plans to make my own exclusive figures.

I see… They give me sci-fi mannequin vibes. Are you inspired by the fashion-world in any way?

The fashion world has been a great influence on me and I am often struck by the richness of the culture and spirit within it, and I am often influenced by it in my work.

You have been working on a new project called “RHEOLOGY”. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

In this project, I have used 3d technology as an external force to study the deformation and flow of the human body in response to the explosion of the digital man, and to explore the fluid relationship between the digital man and the physical man. It attempts to tell the story of the physical man seeking the ideal self in a particular form of idolatry, achieving self-affirmation and eventually producing aberrations.

Have you ever thought about venturing into to the metaverse and create NFTs, since your digital art fits perfectly for that?

I often have gorgeous dreams about that, so I think I would like to venture into that and create my own virtual world, and the rise of the NFT concept has helped me realize my ideas.

So are you planning anything specific within that space?

In the future, firstly, I will try more software to change the way of fashion content production under the continuous evolution of new tools and platforms, try to improve the design by creating my own programs, and establish my own AR modular wear.

Secondly, I will try to make a series of interactive digital costume exhibitions and wearing space from the perspective of game construction platforms – to be able to find richer forms of digital fashion, improve our experience – and find the means to link the virtual and physical worlds. Under the background of the new digital fashion wave formed by the proposal of the concept of the meta-universe.

– I want to improve the expansion and construction of digital social ecology – and bridge the gap between the real world and virtual world. While the immersive technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR), are the paths to the meta-universe – I also need to pay attention to the mature dynamics of 5G, cloud computing, blockchain, chips and other technologies. I will use new technologies and materials to create things that have never been built.

Thirdly, I will look for ways to connect the digital world with the physical world, which is essential. In the postgraduate stage, I also want to intensively study the application of new materials in garments under the development of digital technology – try to combine parametric construction with 3D printed materials, or present more future costume forms through codes, algorithms and other technical means. Can fashion produce immersive contents and experiences in the wave of the meta-universe – thus construct something that has never been constructed before?

How did you come up with the Aura mask? And do you have plans of creating more of them?

The concept is based on the “qi” that surges between people in the city, and I have extended the human spine, using the characteristics of the “pillar” in the architectural concept to try to create my own aura space. I will improve on this attempt afterwards and make more.

Who do you look up to?

I am very fond of Iris van herpen and Neri Oxman, both exceptional women in their fields of expertise, who perfectly complement science and aesthetics, and who have greatly influenced my style.

How do you feel about the European art scene?

European art has always been an object of great longing for me, and it has always influenced the culture of the world.

Any future projects comming up?

I am working on a new solo project and I am also collaborating with a number of platforms and brands.