ANIMATING SURFACES

For our Print 09, we worked with Chinese-born illustrator-animator Yukai Du. 

Yukai's work is vibrant. Creating imaginative compositions of alternate realities familiar to Earth. Yukai uses colourful illustrations and popping animation to explain concepts such as prime numbers, science and space, in a way that simplifies and demands attention. It’s a unique talent, and one we’re pretty jealous of,

With Print 09 we wanted to animate one of Yukai’s artistic worlds on our Clothes That Grow childrenswear.

Yukai has previously collaborated with Adobe, Apple and the New Yorker. We are so excited to have her work live and grow on designs for LittleHumans. 

To learn more about Yukai and her material musings read on below:

PART I. YUKAI’S WORLD

Tell us about your print and illustrations for Petit Pli

My illustration is an imagination world with waves of fun elements for the LittleHumans to immerse and explore.

Do you remember how you saw the world when you were a LittleHuman?

I remember the first time my mum told me about the first metro station opened in my hometown. She said we can take trains by going under the ground. In my head, I saw humans walking through the solid concrete roads like ghosts to the underground.

Do you have any advice to share with LittleHumans interested in following art or becoming printmakers?

Keep a diary to draw down what you see. I used to keep a drawing diary when I was a LittleHuman. Every ordinary thing was very interesting to put in the diary to me, like grandpa reading a newspaper and I copied the newspaper titles without knowing any words.

What have LittleHumans taught you? Have they changed you as a person / artist?

They are so imaginative! As an adult and working as an illustrator, I do have a lot of rules and knowledges which could be limited. My LittleHuman friends taught me how to be free and think outside the box.

PART II. YUKAI’S RECOMMENDATIONS 🚀 

Seen any recent innovations or inspirations that have caught your eye?

Recently I went to MAAT in Lisbon and saw an amazing installation called Prisma by VHILS.The artist used multiple gigantic curved screen to display different city life in Hong Kong, Mexico City, LA, etc. As a viewer, I was surrounded by all these curved videos and immersed in all those cities at the same time, as if I traveled time and space.

Recommendations where you are based?

London, east London to be precise. Love the River Lea canals and the Hackney marshes.

Explore Print 09 here.