PARSONS SCHOOL OF
DESIGN PRESENTS:

Chutong Xiao

Multidisciplinary Artist | Designer
Chutong Xiao is a multimedia artist and designer who works in the multidisciplinary space between art, design, and technology. Her works are characterized by a witty and childlike style, which allows her to deconstruct serious issues in modern society, such as identity, death, and intimacy, in a relatively humorous and poetic way.

Chutong uses creation as a tool to better understand herself and others, and she is committed to inspiring people to explore the new world with extraordinary courage and passion as human beings.
Chutong Xiao is a multimedia artist and designer who works in the multidisciplinary space between art, design, and technology. Her works are characterized by a witty and childlike style, which allows her to deconstruct serious issues in modern society, such as identity, death, and intimacy, in a relatively humorous and poetic way.

Chutong uses creation as a tool to better understand herself and others, and she is committed to inspiring people to explore the new world with extraordinary courage and passion as human beings.
Thesis Faculty
Sven Travis, Loretta Wolozin, Justin Bakse, Jessica Marshall

Louder Than Words

An interactive wearable installation to explore the possibilities of non-verbal communication

Louder Than Words

Louder Than Words is an installation-based project that explores different communication possibilities beyond words in an attempt to break down the barriers of superficial communication and bring people together.

By entering a private space where external identities dissolve, participants are granted greater freedom to communicate without the limitations of words. This intimate setting features a unique wearable crocheted costume—a way of freezing time that visually expresses introspection and contemplation for me as an introvert while bringing a larger audience into the mix. By donning the costume, the individual is able to observe the external world and communicate nonverbally in their own way.

The gentle chimes of the glittering bells attached to the costume serve as an invitation to freely use the body as an instrument of communication while also symbolizing the rich inner world of those who are often viewed as reserved. These ethereal sounds ultimately travel further through an amplifier system, evoking a poetic reminder that meaningful connection is always within reach, even if it isn’t spoken aloud.