Biyan Qian

My practice focuses on my own family issues to point towards wider social phenomena. I am interested in how different personality types are formed in society and influence the dynamics of our personal relationships. Projects often start by recording a conversation between myself and my mother with this material forming the basis for drawn or moving-image works.  

In my final work for the MA, I explore different opinions on marriage within the family and the strict requirements that have been stipulated for my future husband. The project is based on the way my mother and I get along with each other, using recordings of conversations to explore why she has such strong opinions about a future husband. The work combines a documentary approach to audio recording with imaginative, hand-drawn imagery. The animation emphasises our contrasting personalities to humorously tell a story that has more serious social implications.