MA student in Design for People (Communication Design) with a background in Art & Technology and Interaction Design. My practice focuses on speculative design and interactive installation. I have extensive experience in developing interactive and visual installations, supported by a solid foundation in graphic design. Strongly oriented toward research-driven and concept-led projects, I am passionate about translating complex systems and critical questions into spatial and experiential forms.Outside of my practice, I enjoy staying creatively engaged through playing the guitar, working out, and playing video games.
CV
May 2023 - June 2023
Video
The context of this project is the collapse accident that occurred in the Hpakant jade mining area of northern Kachin State, Myanmar, in 2020. After conducting in-depth research into the causes of the accident, the impact of the related jade industry on local communities, and the lives of the jade pickers—known as 'Yemasee'—behind the industry, we aimed to present the information we gathered through video. Our goal was to shed light on this incident and draw attention to the affected community caught in this tragedy.
The "Yemasee" is a group unique to Myanmar—people who survive on the "leftovers" from mining companies. Influenced by Myanmar's Buddhist culture, these companies, to maintain their local image, distribute "remaining" ore that has undergone multiple rounds of screening as a form of welfare. The Yemasee then sift through these discarded rocks in search of valuable jade rough.
The world of the Yemasee is often filled with poverty, hardship, illness, and drug abuse. They cling to the hope of striking it rich overnight, dreaming of the glamorous lives led by those in the jade gambling trade. Although tales of sudden fortune among jade pickers circulate, such cases are exceedingly rare. Every day, dump trucks haul loads of mining waste to designated slag heaps, where the Yemasee stand on loose, unstable piles that could collapse at any moment, risking their lives as they wait for the next load. There is no real protection—at most, some wrap rags around their feet to soften the blow from falling rocks.
Many Yemasee enter the mining areas at night to search for jade. Not only is there less supervision, but using lights in the dark also helps them better assess the quality of the stones. However, this practice has become one of the reasons why collapse accidents often result in heavy casualties.
When Yemasee find valuable stones, they sell them through various channels. Most pickers only find small, low-grade rough stones, which they sell to local buyers. Those with more savvy might gather their entire family to transport the stones to the world's largest jade market—the Mandalay Jade Market—to try their luck. But as the number of Yemasee grows, oversupply at every buyer's stall in Mandalay drives prices down further. Stones that cannot be sold often end up as low-value "brick material" or sold by weight at meager prices. What a Yemasee earns in a day is often not enough to feed a family.
Over time, competition among merchants for high-quality jade from the Yemasee has given rise to an unspoken rule: if a Yemasee shows a merchant a stone, the merchant will give a tip regardless of whether they buy it—ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of kyat, or as little as a few hundred. More generous buyers naturally receive more recommendations from the Yemasee. In the mining areas, many Yemasee rely on these very tips to scrape by…
Covered in wounds and suffering from malnutrition, they dig day and night. This physical and psychological despair drives many Yemasee to turn to drugs. In opium-plagued Myanmar, a dose of heroin costs less than two dollars—a cheap escape into momentary relief. One addicted jade picker said, "Without drugs, I’d be exhausted. But after an injection, I work happily and can keep dreaming." In Hpakant, the lack of clean needles has led to widespread HIV infections among the Yemasee. Many lose their lives to drugs long before they are struck by falling rocks or buried in landslides.
Contact:
+45 50342562
yifanfu0326@gmail.com
+45 50342562
yifanfu0326@gmail.com