“At a young age, Ani Liu had to disguise her art as science. Now she combines them.” – Jim Cotter, Articulete
Untitled: (A Search for Ghosts in the Meat Machine) 
Kisses from the Future: Speculative Intimacy strategies from the Microbiome 
Kisses from the Future: Speculative Intimacy strategies from the Microbiome 
Kisses from the Future: Speculative Intimacy strategies from the Microbiome 
The Empathy Machine – 2013 
The Empathy Machine – 2013 
Real Virtual Feelings 
Mind in the Machine: Psyche in the Age of Mechanical Production
Ani Liu developed the Mind in the Machine in the summer of 2017 while working in a Chinese factory for a month while learning about labor and manufacturing processes. It is a physical and visual representation of the stress levels of an individual working in the factory to keep the sewing machines running properly. Although there is a machine to create the many garments and other textiles developed in this factory, there is still a human element which Ani Liu measured through collecting their their EEG signal to determine their cognitive signature throughout the day. The physical piece is a 39” x 23” white nylon and polyester piece. This white fabric creation at first glance appears to be a 3D model of a mountainous landscape. On the left, there are high peaks and valleys in a wild and unpredictable pattern that are stretching towards the center of the piece. In the center, viewers can find a simpler pattern which has developed appearing similar to a tightly knitted blanket with some abnormalities and hills. As the viewer reaches the right side of the piece, it is almost completely flat and plain with an occasional bump to it.
The map developed by the EEG is an expression of the very nature of human thought and how it can then be compared to our planet. The stress and pressure it has undergone that has built the rock filled mountains and the barren simplicity and nothingness seen in the daylight of desert land. Human thought and the physical Earth are representational of each other in their complexities giving a light to the importance of preserving our planet similarly to how we work to protect our minds. This work is a representation of the extreme stresses that humans go through during the day and more specifically, this individual working in a Chinese factory. It can be compared to others in any profession as a day may begin with complete chaos, but eventually subside to a more relaxed state, or the reverse. It is a call for help that individuals can’t bring themselves to verbally express, but their brains are screaming to be saved from their stress and anxiety.
Art & Sustainability 