Programme:
Landscape Architecture - MPhil/PhD
Start date:
09/2023
Mode of study:
Full time
Research title:
When species meet in life and death: ecologies of death in Seafood Markets - A study of Si-ji-mei (Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market’s shelter) and Shetland fishing community
Yafei has a BA in Environmental Design at SCFAI in China (2020) and an MA in Situated Practice from Bartlett, UCL (2022). Her research has been focused on de-anthropocentrism, foodscape, and market place, particularly at Bartlett, where she conducted a study on the Huanan Seafood Market and the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting the research lens towards non-human entities under the supervision of Prof. Jane Rendell, Dr. Henrietta Williams, Dr. David Roberts, and Dr. Polly Gould.
Yafei has many years of experience in art and landscape architecture design. Her works were showcased widely in China and UK, and also awarded in UNESCO design competitions.
My study adopts an interdisciplinary approach, merging critical landscape studies, environmental humanities, more-than-human methods and ethnographic research. Informed by queer theory, ecofeminist philosophy and visual anthropology, it investigates the fluid boundaries between humans and fish. Addressing global concerns, this research centers on two specific local contexts, Si-ji-mei in China and the Shetland in Scotland, examining de-anthropocentrism through the interplay of humans, non-humans, foodscapes, and ocean landscapes in fishing communities and markets. Thereby is building a site-specific methodological framework based on these two sites through fieldwork, archival research, and mourning ceremonies, among other methods. This PhD research seeks to contribute to the preservation of both species and cultural diversity, fostering a community dedicated to a shared future for our planet.