Hantao Li is a visual artist and architectural designer, he intertwines real footage with computer-generated imagery to critically explore and situate today’s society and technology. Through radical and speculative fictions, Hantao envisions and interrogates the environments and landscapes that shape the human condition. His primary tools include narrative films co-produced with real-time game engines, actual footage, and scientific foundations, all aimed at immersing audiences in these speculative worlds.
Influenced by video games, architectural visualization, and simulations, he utilizes CGI environments to symbolize structures of power. This approach allows him to craft surreal sequences that unveil hidden realities and probe into potential futures.
@hantaoli98
hantao.li98@gmail.com
Single-channel video, 8 min, Drawings, Collage, 2022
Archives have traditionally been repositories for tangible materials such as books, photographs, and other physical objects. Today, however, the focus has shifted to the digital realm, capturing every digital footprint—from social media interactions and videos to detailed user profiles derived from browsing habits. This project explores whether the data we generate can, in turn, construct an authentic version of ourselves.
Entitled 'NEO Archive,' this initiative delves into our human penchant for converting every aspect of our lives into data, a phenomenon that profoundly influences both architecture and our broader built environment.
NEO Archive aims to redefine and preserve human identity through digital means. To support this ambitious endeavor, a sprawling facility spanning 2.5 kilometers with four stories has been constructed in central London. This mixed-use building includes a simulation space designed to collect a wide array of information and digital traces from participants.
The project employs film as a primary medium to critique our obsession with documentation. The narrative begins by highlighting the appealing aspects of identity archiving but gradually shifts to a critical tone. The film culminates by questioning the value of data when it becomes unreadable, inoperative, or otherwise unusable.
Special Thanks:
Ryan Dillon, David Greene, Ana Nicolaescu, Sebastian Tiew
Screening:
Simultan Festival XVII 2022 - Screening Program, Timișoara, Romania, September 10-18, 2022