My name is Yung-Yi Juliet Chou.  I am a researcher, designer and a culture interpreter based in New York.  I am my own testing ground where the future of ME has been and continues to be reinvented by myself and reimagined by others.

Welcome to glyfeinLAB, a manifestation of possibilities, pleasures, and inspirations to enhance my everyday learning.  The word glyfein comes from the language of Greek, meaning “to write” or “to carve” and serving a symbolic gesture to show design as a process involving both thoughts and efforts. We have thousands of thoughts passing by during a typical day. Having one or two disparate lines of thought to follow should suffice my curiosity; then I can rest one groove in mind and work in another.

The logo is a word that reads “刻” originating in ancient Chinese seal script. What has inspired me and captivated me in this particular word is its multiplicity of meaning.  Technically, it can be used to describe an action, to carve and to engrave; metaphorically, it can be used to denote time or degree of quality.  It reflects efforts and aftereffects of them.  The shape and the meaning of the Chinese character align themselves with my intention.

I come from an interdisciplinary background in art administration, historic preservation, digital interpretation, design technology and cognitive psychology.  I have been interested in learning how old technology revived in a new context and new technology thriving in old surroundings.  Most real-world problems require a transdisciplinary approach. Involving me so that we can learn together!

關於蛤蠣與飛鳥的心靈實驗室

假如你讀得懂中文，這裡是中文名稱《蛤蠣與飛鳥的心靈實驗室》背後的小典故：

在古代，個體較大的蛤稱為蜃，小一點的才叫蛤，亦稱作蠣，傳說中蜃與蛤都是由飛鳥變化而來的，於是蛤蠣，候風雨，能以殼為翅飛。如此民間的神怪傳奇在晉人乾寶所撰《搜神記》裡留下這樣的記載：「千歲之雉，入海為蜃。百年之雀，入江為蛤。」應了這個美好的傳說，想要在日復一日的平常生活裡為自己的直覺，別人的線索和那些風馬牛不相及的新點子留一塊想像和創造的空間，於是開始了蛤蠣與飛鳥的心靈實驗室 ……