Trina (Tian Siyu)
Programme:
Design - MPhil/PhD
Start date:
09/2023
Mode of study:
Full time
Research title:
Animation and Posthumanism
Biography
Trina (Siyu Tian) is currently a PhD candidate at Edinburgh College of Art, specializing in character animation and posthumanism. She holds an MA in Character Animation from Central Saint Martins and previously worked in 2D animation design at NetEase Games. Her research explores how digital bodies generate new forms of subjectivity, blending her professional background in 2D and rigged animation with theoretical inquiry.
Research interests
- 2D Animation and Post-humanism
- Human-Nonhuman Interaction
- Digital subjectivity and Virtual Embodiment
Animation 1B: Principle
Research
Research
My research focuses on how digital and hybrid bodies can move beyond traditional human-centered limits to express new forms of subjectivity, affect, and relationality. By combining practice-based animation techniques with a qualitative analysis of digital identities, I aim to develop an ethically grounded framework for animated embodiment that challenges narratives of technological alienation. My recent paper, “Zoe-Driven Ethics and Animated Subjectivity…”, was accepted by the 37th Society for Animation Studies (SAS) Conference in Pittsburgh. For more on my ongoing practice, you can follow me on Instagram @zoe_digitallife.