Meet Melody Ling | Multimedia Artist & Interaction Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melody Ling and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melody, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Some things in life prevent you from falling apart, but others make you cherish the intentionality of living – the latter is what art is to me. The intention of being creative is the voice in me that I’ve longed to speak out and make sense of. Without it, I could be a decent human being; but with it, I am the unique entity I am.

My creative career doesn’t have the most conventional start – Instead of going directly to a field in art/design, I got my undergrad degree in PPL (philosophy, politics, and law) driven by a deep curiosity towards collective behaviors, human interactions, and social structures. At the same time, art and design is the creative attempt that I seek to make sense of my place in the world – I feel like art isn’t enough only as a medium, a skillset, or an aesthetic choice; but have to draw from a rich pool of content to pour “soul” into it. It’s like when you’ve got paint and brush and learned the techniques, but what are you painting?

I’ve been blessed to have a chance to seek the soul in my art and design, where I realized that it could start small but end up powerful. My time spent in the Media Design Practices program at ArtCenter was when I finally gained the time and practice to converge my pathways together, pushing everything from interest to an actual career path. I explored in-depth the ability of design to speak to contemporary topics, and I had the time of my life. Looking back, these were some of the best years because I can follow my heart, and there was always something original and amazing coming out of it.

The intention of keeping creativity at the center of my life is something I will be consistently pursuing and sustaining. No matter what, I will not stop creating because, to quote from my favorite movie – “the answer must be in the attempt”.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I see myself as a multimedia artist and interaction designer with a side gig of being a music artist, and I’m quite proud of myself for falling into this interdisciplinary field. My work ranges from interaction design for mixed reality, experimental videos, interactive wearables, critical essays, and sound, plus so many different things in between. I also see myself as a *speculative mediator* because art and design are my ways of reflecting on current paths and alternative futures. The space in theory and speculation is secretly my sanctuary, where my heart lies. I enjoy the process of turning abstract thoughts into standing arguments, then using art and design to choreograph an interesting dialogue out of it.

The project I’m most proud of is indeed my thesis, named Fluid Identities. Driven by the situated nature and different facades of identities, I made an interactive face mask containing two LCD screens as displays covering a person’s eye and mouth, where they play videos with alternative facial features or even bolder elements related to one’s identity – such as name, birthday, biometrics, movement, etc. The mask changes in different social scenarios. I wanted to also involve the public in DIY-ing their own masks seeing the collective effort as a design initiative. This project was driven by the initial curiosity and confusion behind identities in this contemporary age when authenticity becomes questionable with tech-embodiment and digitization. With people changing their natural bodies and with personal data being surveilled and even altered, what versions of ourselves do we see in the mirror? On the other hand, why can’t identities become changeable and expressive? Eventually, I wish my thesis can give more agency back to identities – because “being fluid” is to be fragmented yet authentic, and incomplete but sufficient.

After finishing grad school, I became an interaction designer (focusing on mixed reality) at Spatial Labs, building technology and hardware infrastructure for AR, blockchain, omnichannel, and immersive experiences. On the side, I am also an independent music artist who creates original songs that gained 200k+ streaming and several playlist features on international platforms. The duo that I’m part of, LplusM, aims at creating music to explore authentic thoughts and emotions. Looking back, a big challenge I had was indeed finding my unique place in this interdisciplinary field – something I’m still trying to figure out every day. With massive unknowns, it takes time and courage to see where would this unique mixture take me to. I’m still a newbie myself, but if anything, I would say that ultimately everyone was given the choice – it is always about finding the right placement and edge because the world is very big. Anyone who can offer something unique will eventually add value to it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
LA to me is a city that’s neverending. One of my friends once described LA as a dish where someone randomly sprinkled condiments but came out with the perfect fusion of tastes. Despite having lived here for ~8 years already, I’m always able to find something new.

My recent hobby in LA is actually driving (when there’s no traffic). One of my favorite authors Joan Didion wrote about the “rapture of the freeway” describing driving in LA in a state where “the mind goes clean; the rhythm takes over”. So if my best friend is here, I’ll definitely take them to a roam on the freeway – whether it’s chasing a sunset towards Venice or Malibu; across the mountains to Pasadena on 110 when it gets dark; or even going on a day trip to Palm Springs, passing by the desert and all the windmills.

Besides driving, LA indeed has a rich culture around food and art. I’ll definitely take my friend for a brunch at Art District. My recent fav is a place called Manuela where I was amazed by its artsy-rustic interior and creative fusion cuisine. After brunch, we’ll probably check out Hauser & Wirth for its current exhibitions. If it happens to be a Sunday in the summer, I’ll then insist they try out the herbal tea in Smorgasburg at the Row. In the afternoon, I’ll take them to Highland Park and go vinyl shopping, plus get some vintage soda from Galco’s to cool down the heat. For dinner, Doughbox is pretty great for its deep pan pizza, but if we are back to downtown already I’ll then take them to Little Sister – my all-time fav Asian fusion restaurant in the city. If we still have room left, we can probably go for a taco truck run at Avenue 26 or Leo’s. And if you still feel awake, then let’s go karaoke at Monterey Park to end the night!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I will first dedicate my shoutout to my art and music partner and friend for life, Ling Ye. Sometimes pursuing a creative path can get a little lonely, and I will not make it here without you climbing the same mountains alongside me. You are always the first person I talk to whenever I have a creative idea popping into my head, and you always have the magic to inspire me more than I ever imagined. I am also deeply grateful that you recognize my craziness as something valuable, and through LplusM, we are both able to turn it into something beautiful.

I also want to give a big shoutout to my friends and colleagues at Media Design Practices in ArtCenter. I know everyone who chose this program has a deep courage to face the massive unknown, but your works never failed to impress and inspire me in their originality, complexity, and rigor. I want to shout out to our shared freedom of choice and the ability to justify it.

Website: https://www.ziruling.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melody1ing/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziruling/

Other: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lplusm Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5pPcdS5lZyQIombvVmatPq?si=o9lZgLPXTKOj1BtD10de0A