by Joyce Chen
Melody Hsu is a multidisciplinary designer who constantly seeks her cultural roots through her artistic works. Having graduated from Emerson College with a B.F.A. in Theatre Design/Technology, Hsu has accumulated an extensive amount of working experience as a scenic designer for plays and musicals, as well as a production designer for short films and music videos. Her most recent projects include the short film Cuttlefish (directed by Alexander Geller) and the music video “Space Girl” (directed by Christina Xing). “Melody brings an energy to set that I have never seen before,” says Siena Tone, Art Director of “Space Girl.” “Working with her is like having your own personal agent who will go to bat for you no matter what.”
Hsu with acrylic paintings of her grandparents in her Boston apartment, provided by Melody Hsu
Aside from production design, Hsu is also an artist who works in acrylic paint. In September of 2020, Hsu created her first installation piece in partnership with Pao Arts Center in Boston, an arts and cultural center located in Chinatown that seeks to celebrate its Asian Pacific Islander (API) community through access to educational and creative programs.
Hsu shares how her cross-cultural identity inspires her as an artist and production designer, and discusses her experiences working on the installation piece “The Roots that Ground Us Set Us Free,” as well as an Asian-American film, Far From the Tree.
On your website, you say that you’re inspired by your cross-cultural identity in fine arts. Can you elaborate on that?
I’m from Taiwan, but I grew up in Beijing, then I came to Boston in 2016 to pursue my higher education. I’ve been in Boston for about 5 years, and I’m now getting my M.A. in Media Design from Emerson College. My inspiration comes from thinking about my background and how out of touch I am with it. I create with the need to fill this hole—fearing that I’m losing something I never had. I create with the intention of reaching out to my roots.
You did an installation piece through Pao Arts Center last year. Can you explain what that piece is about?
The piece is called “The Roots that Ground Us Set Us Free,” and it was for the Wang YMCA of Chinatown. A lot of Asian grandparents exercise there, kids have daycare there, and young adults play basketball there on the weekends. YMCA is a place where everyone comes together, so it made sense that this piece is a line drawing of people doing different things in the shape of a tree, where the roots are almost entangled in the leaves. This piece was for the Asian community, and that’s why I also have the twelve Chinese zodiacs in it; I wanted people to be able to recognize and interact with them. The tree was particularly important for me because it’s such a prominent symbol for everything that I make: it’s the symbol of life, of unity, and the way that I feel about my culture directly.
Hsu shares how her cross-cultural identity inspires her as an artist and production designer, and discusses her experiences working on the installation piece “The Roots that Ground Us Set Us Free,” as well as an Asian-American film, Far From the Tree.
On your website, you say that you’re inspired by your cross-cultural identity in fine arts. Can you elaborate on that?
I’m from Taiwan, but I grew up in Beijing, then I came to Boston in 2016 to pursue my higher education. I’ve been in Boston for about 5 years, and I’m now getting my M.A. in Media Design from Emerson College. My inspiration comes from thinking about my background and how out of touch I am with it. I create with the need to fill this hole—fearing that I’m losing something I never had. I create with the intention of reaching out to my roots.
You did an installation piece through Pao Arts Center last year. Can you explain what that piece is about?
The piece is called “The Roots that Ground Us Set Us Free,” and it was for the Wang YMCA of Chinatown. A lot of Asian grandparents exercise there, kids have daycare there, and young adults play basketball there on the weekends. YMCA is a place where everyone comes together, so it made sense that this piece is a line drawing of people doing different things in the shape of a tree, where the roots are almost entangled in the leaves. This piece was for the Asian community, and that’s why I also have the twelve Chinese zodiacs in it; I wanted people to be able to recognize and interact with them. The tree was particularly important for me because it’s such a prominent symbol for everything that I make: it’s the symbol of life, of unity, and the way that I feel about my culture directly.
You’re also a conceptual designer and you mainly work in production design. Could you explain your process?
I design sets for stage and film, but right now primarily film. I love the short-term commitment of being able to create a whole world within a room. Ever since I’ve started my master’s program, I’ve been focusing on transitioning from designing for entertainment to—what I like to call—designing for people. I recognize that deep down, my motivation comes from service, so I want to create things that are artistically pleasant but also make a direct impact on people’s lives.
How are you inspired by your background for production design? Do you actively try to incorporate your cultural heritage into your work?
Absolutely! I always love to put a little bit of myself into my work. I’m currently working on an Asian-American film called Far From the Tree. The first thing I did was to reach out to the producer because I wanted every Asian/Asian-American crew member to bring something personal from their homes to be featured on the screen. When I’m creating a set, I always try to be as thoughtful as I can be. Although I am creating this “fictional” world, I know I’m actually creating somebody’s life somewhere.
I design sets for stage and film, but right now primarily film. I love the short-term commitment of being able to create a whole world within a room. Ever since I’ve started my master’s program, I’ve been focusing on transitioning from designing for entertainment to—what I like to call—designing for people. I recognize that deep down, my motivation comes from service, so I want to create things that are artistically pleasant but also make a direct impact on people’s lives.
How are you inspired by your background for production design? Do you actively try to incorporate your cultural heritage into your work?
Absolutely! I always love to put a little bit of myself into my work. I’m currently working on an Asian-American film called Far From the Tree. The first thing I did was to reach out to the producer because I wanted every Asian/Asian-American crew member to bring something personal from their homes to be featured on the screen. When I’m creating a set, I always try to be as thoughtful as I can be. Although I am creating this “fictional” world, I know I’m actually creating somebody’s life somewhere.
Can you tell us what the film is about?
The title comes from the saying, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” and it’s a story about the distant relationship between an Asian-American mom and her son. We translated the title into Chinese, too, which is “疏親 (meaning distant loved ones),” because generation-wise and blood-wise, you are a close family, but you don’t know how to connect with each other. That’s why I love the Chinese translation so much more than the English. It’s a story about expectations, family, and love—the very classic and authentic Asian-American experience. I’ve never worked on something that made me feel this way. Aside from this film, do you have any projects planned for the future? Something that I’ve been cooking up in my head is some sort of creative workshop. I want to hold space for what is happening right now. Culturally, Asians aren’t as outspoken as the other communities, but the Black Lives Matter movement really empowered the Asian voice in a way. I’ve seen many Asian creators speak out through their social platforms, so I want to embrace that and create a space where people can be understood and heard. I think there’s a lot of creative value and importance in curating something that is generationally and culturally healing. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. |
Hsu making an acrylic painting of her grandfather, provided by Melody Hsu
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