oddly familiar

Interactive objects, light, sound and occasional mischief.

Shy Farting Statue

A marble-textured statue doubles as an interactive humidifier. LEDs and a Xiao ESP32 sit inside the PLA body, alongside a programmable mistmaker by David Yang and Cai Shuang.

Loading Cat LED Pin

A wearable loading cat built around a custom circuit board. An ATtiny microcontroller drives the LEDs, and a coin cell battery powers the pin.

Bathlight

A lamp that lights up when its bulbs are immersed in water.

Here v2

Inspired by the warmth of a recently vacated seat, Here makes the traces we leave behind visible. In the original version, a depth camera records visitors’ silhouettes and LED panels play them back after a delay. This archive brings together that first bench and Here v2, exhibited at PASEO 2025.

Reverb + ?

A miniature spring reverb built for the Pocket Operator. A bone conductor drives a short spring, while a sliding piezo disc adds a flanger-like effect. The unit shares the instrument’s two AAA batteries, and a single slider blends the dry and wet signals. Expect a distinctly lo-fi shimmer.

flexFX

flexFX is designed to make tabletop effects more comfortable to use by angling the controls toward the player. A custom flexible circuit board and 3D-printed TPU let the body bend, hold its angle and fold flat afterward. The audio circuit is based on the Klon Centaur transparent overdrive.

Graduation Pin

I designed and programmed this pin to celebrate graduating from ITP. It brings together the electronics and programming skills I learned during my master’s degree, with an ATtiny microcontroller, a NeoPixel and LEDs on a custom circuit board.

Maltese Snowball Maker

A working snowball maker inspired by a Xiantiao Xiaogou blind-box figure. Modeled in Blender, printed in PLA and finished with spray paint, it brings the character outside for a snow day.

Now

Pick it up and hear time slow down.

Unboxed

A playful lamp inspired by light bulb packaging, made with Alina Liu. PLA, vinyl, a bulb and a latching switch bring the idea out of the box.

Pigeons in NYC

A flock of Halloween-themed pigeons, modeled in Blender and printed in glow-in-the-dark PLA. I distributed them around Central Park in New York City as part of a project to practice 3D modeling.

Candle

A lamp that recreates the glow of a real candle using stacked acrylic, a NeoPixel, a microcontroller and a potentiometer.

Quarter / Light

Insert a quarter to switch on the lamp. Each coin increases the brightness and triggers an animation of falling light. A coin acceptor, microcontroller and COB light strip sit inside a structure made from PLA and acrylic.

Sacred for 3 Seconds

Turn the crank to power a halo above an In-N-Out hat. The light runs entirely on human effort, using a stepper motor and flexible LED filament to turn the wearer into an In-N-Out angel.

The Trumpet Boy

A mechanical take on the trumpet-boy meme, built from acrylic, wood and metal wire. The process includes Illustrator drawings, a SolidWorks model and the assembled automaton.

Chill-out Stick

In Doraemon, the Chill-out Stick calms people when held in front of their mouths. This version, made with Alina Liu, plays a recording supplied by the user when its touch sensor is activated. The electronics sit inside a painted resin body.

Moodmaker Orchestra

Made with Alina Liu, Moodmaker Orchestra brings a Doraemon gadget to life. Five buttons play short recordings for moods including happiness, sadness and anger. The client supplied the audio, and the electronics sit inside a painted resin model.

Solar Instruments

A series of solar-powered and solar-controlled instruments that use sunlight to shape sound. Microcontroller programming uses light to control oscillation and effects such as pitch shifting and ring modulation. The builds combine solar panels, light sensors and soft potentiometers.

Space Audition

Space Audition is a two-player rhythm game in which players use levers to attack each other on screen. The custom plywood cabinet takes a futuristic, minimal form, bringing together the controls, display, speaker and lighting.

Waterloo Bridge

A custom acrylic bridge serves as the model for a projection-mapping study in MadMapper. The work explores both light confined to the bridge and a wider composition inspired by Claude Monet.

Breath

Created with Alina Liu, this commissioned installation uses balloons to represent breathing and celebrate the fragility of life. A structure made from PLA and acrylic houses the balloons, a pump, a valve and a microcontroller.

Reflection

Made with Jessica Shen, Reflection combines projection mapping and LEDs. A custom TouchDesigner setup takes real-time tide data as its input and controls the installation’s light.

Oiiai Cat

Oiiai Cat turns the spinning-cat meme into an interactive installation. When someone comes near, the cat spins amid rainbow LEDs and plays music. The build uses a printed lithophane, a DC motor and a microcontroller.

Glasses

A selection of objects from my glassblowing practice in 2023–2024.

KIND Bar Alarm

An interactive alarm clock with a 3D-printed body, microcontroller, speaker, amplifier and servo motor.

PlayStation × Reebok Phone

An interactive telephone built with a microcontroller, amplifier and limit switch. The transparent handset leaves the internal electronics on view.