SFD Distinguished Professor Ye Jintian's Lecture: The Future in Three Patterns

On November 14, the series of lectures on Humanities, Art, and Technology, co-hosted by Beijing Normal University School of Future Design and the Student Affairs Office (Department) of the Zhuhai Campus Party Committee of Beijing Normal University, specially invited Professor Ye Jintian to share his insights on the future in three patterns.

In this lecture, Professor Ye Jintian, with "The Future in Three Patterns" as the topic, introduced his artistic creation concept, his cross-disciplinary and cross-media artistic creation experience at different periods, and his exploration of the origin of time and thoughts on future development.

Professor Ye stated that a film is not just about telling a story; it presents a space where we can perceive and taste the inner world of the characters. He used the film "Fengshen Trilogy" as a starting point, focusing on the design and production process of movie scenes, layouts, materials, and props, leading students to feel the methods of realizing the interlacing of "virtual" and "real" aesthetics in the artistic space and the visual interest it presents.

When talking about "Fengshen Trilogy," Professor Ye pointed out that the most challenging aspect of the entire film production is how to comprehensively present Chinese aesthetics, how to use mature technology to seamlessly present Oriental charm rather than in a fragmented way, and how to build a tacit and expressive bridge between the audience's cultural background and perception. This is the difficulty that needs to be overcome when constructing and expressing the aesthetic space of Fengshen. Professor Ye stated that we need to fully utilize the design of space to express and capture the tension of conflicting tensions, the surge of emotions, and the subtle feelings of characters in films or stage plays.

From Professor Ye's sharing of his creative design experience, students saw a generation of masters of Oriental aesthetics' spiritual, philosophical, and aesthetic explorations towards the world, and deeply felt that art is a universally applicable language."

Ye Jintian, a distinguished professor at Beijing Normal University School of Future Design, is the first Chinese to win the Oscar for Best Art Direction. He’s also the designer of the award-winning uniforms for the Chinese team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a master of Eastern aesthetics, and an interpreter of New Orientalism aesthetics. As a world-renowned film and stage art director, costume designer, and visual artist, he continuously explores and deconstructs the aesthetic concept of "New Orientalism," interpreting the enlightenment of ancient culture for the future. His creations traverse multiple fields such as film, stage, contemporary art, and literature. In 2001, Ye Jintian received the Oscar for "Best Art Direction" and the British Film Academy "Best Costume Design" award for the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." His representative works as an art director and costume designer include: "Fengshen Trilogy," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "The Banquet," "Red Cliff," "The Message," "Palace of Desire," "When Tangerines Turn Red," "Spring in a Small Town," "1942," etc.