


Beiya Yang
2021, paper, silver, steel, rope, 10.9cm x 22cm, photo credit to Beiya Yang
“I found that people born in the 21st century are accustomed to convenience and having everything at our fingertips. We use the Internet to search for all the answers we want and even prefer to use our phone for all communication, such as chatting with others, finding addresses, taking out food, online shopping, even games, and other entertainment activities. We are surrounded by virtual reality and forget the true emotions of real life. People may not realize that the world we live in is beginning to be covered by another language. This language is called coding- a series of numbers and letters without evidence of real emotions and meaning. My work reminds people that through this form of communication, feelings are being forgotten as we immerse ourselves in our screens. The translation of words-to-code parallels the disconnect between people as they communicate virtually.
Similarly, as we spend more time on the internet by connecting through devices, do we ignore the true emotions in real life? For example, we can “like” or everyone we follow, and can easily say “I love you” to anyone on the internet. On the contrary, such genuine expressions in our lives are slowly decreasing. In the process of working on the internet and using Siri, I realized that we have entered an era of relying on electronic products and relying on online search. And artificial intelligence has entered our lives long ago.
Through new and developing work, I use code as my research subject. I translate the common language that may be quickly shared in text messages into codes and present them in the form of jewelry. Technology allows people to use mobile phones to connect with people living far away. We used to need to send physical letters to reach people far away, but because of technology, we risk losing true personal connections. Feelings in reality cannot be replaced by virtual ones. We used to write by hand, now we type by hand. Paper and mobile phones are just tools for us to express our emotions and thoughts. They are like things related to the body.”


Beiya Yang examines common objects. She likes to observe life, and she has brought this habit into her works. After finishing, an undergraduate degree in Craft and materials study at Virginia Commonwealth University. She went to the State University of New York -New Platz to continue her metal research project.