Seph Li

China

Seph Li (born 1988, Beijing) is a Chinese media artist based in London whose practice explores interactive systems at the intersection of technology, perception, and natural phenomena. Working with real-time computation, he develops poetic, rule-based environments in which dynamic processes such as fluid behavior, flocking systems, and physics-based simulations become the foundation for abstract visual forms. Within these systems, the artist defines the underlying structure, while the resulting imagery is co-created through algorithmic processes and audience interaction, producing works that evolve continuously in response to both code and presence.

Seph Li holds bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Digital Design from Tsinghua University and an MFA from the Design|Media Arts department at UCLA. His work has been exhibited internationally in major museums and institutions, where his installations extend beyond static display into participatory experiences that engage viewers directly in the formation of the artwork.


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Everything Before, Everything After I - Vertical

Everything_Before__Everything_After_I_-_Vertical_Seph_Li_Generative_art.mp4

The main body of this digital installation is a meandering river rendered in Chinese ink painting style. The river, simulated by the rules of meanders, constantly shifts its path as it flows, marks time and leaves behind the transition traces. Chinese traditional ink painting is characterized not only by the fluidity of the ink that represents the flow of time, but also by the panoramic expression of space that can not be contained in a single view. This artwork aims at rejuvenating this zen concept in the digital age and extend it through motion and interactive properties.

Excerpt from a real-time interactive artwork:

The visuals are rendered on 2 touch screens. By touching the screen, visitors are invited to paint their own strokes to the artwork. Not only does the visitors’ strokes stay on the canvas, but they also apply additional forces to the meandering simulation. As such, the originally predictable shapeshifting of the river becomes an irreducible and unpredictable process, therefore, the ink river becomes the history itself promoted by both the flow of the environment and human interruptions. What the audiences see at an exact moment is no longer just 'now', but the summary of 'everything before'. With visitors’ participatory disruptions, the river carries what it has accumulated into the future - thus 'everything after'.

Furthermore, once the artwork’s software starts running, all the process and interactive strokes are recorded, and the status of the river is never being reset. This ensures the ink river really becomes the medium that carries the eternity of the artwork and becomes the river that flows through spacetime.

technique

generative art

format

portrait

duration

01:40

year

2023

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More from Seph Li

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Generative art
Generative art refers to a way of creating artworks using an autonomous system. In digital art, these are usually generated from code and algorithms created by the artist, often with certain predefined parameters or systems. Although these parameters guide the final outcome of the work, generative art is generally a surprising way to create artworks, as the results are often unexpected and the number of possible outcomes can be infinite.
AI
AI art is a branch of generative art that uses artificial intelligence. Unlike other generative artworks, AI artworks use specific complex algorithms and models derived from machine learning. The most common methods for creating AI art today are GANs (generative adversarial networks) or proprietary prompting platforms such as ChatGPT, Sora, Midjourney, or Dall-e.
3D
3D art uses 3D software such as Blender, Cinema4D, Houdini, or video game software such as Unity to create works of art. In 3D works, artists can either arrange assets (the 'objects' in a 3D artwork or world) that they have created themselves or purchased from other creators to create elaborate environments and scenes (an approach to 3D art called 'set dressing'), or specialize in sculpting, which involves creating their own objects and assets.
Photogrammetry
Photogrammetry is a specialized 3D technique that allows 3D objects to be created from numerous photographs taken of an object or scene from multiple angles. These photos are then compiled to determine the specific positioning, shape, and dimensions of the object in space, and then converted into a 3D model. Initially developed for engineering and urban planning, photogrammetry has become a way for artists to produce extremely accurate 3D models from real-life images.
Collage
An extension of the traditional, plastic approach to collage, digital collage involves searching for and cutting out multiple images, extracting them from their original context, and recomposing them in a new arrangement to create a work of art. Artists can use their own photographs or find images on the internet.
Illustration
Digital illustrations are created using software such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Procreate. As with drawing on paper, the artist uses a stylus to sketch a figure or object, usually on a tablet, to construct a scene or artistic universe. Unlike traditional drawing methods, digital illustration is much more forgiving, as mistakes can be easily corrected and drawn elements and objects can be easily moved around within a scene.
Video
Video artworks primarily use a recording camera, but may sometimes include additional post-processing or editing to distort, modify or add additional elements to the image. Some artists use state-of-the-art recording equipment to create macro zoom-ins or time lapses, privileging fidelity to the subject matter. Others use additional softwares to significantly modify or warp the video, creating an alternative perspective on the world that surrounds us.

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