Alien Archive

I’m a researcher, designer, and artist based in New York. I’m curious of understanding and creating human experiences, especially on those that connect us across space and time. My work explores different mediums across disciplines, often inspired by research in the history and biology. By experimenting with various technologies to add a touch of magic to experiences, I aim to invite people to see the familiar in unexpected ways.

Food is a special area of interest of mine. It is an anchor point for exploring cultural connections and investigating how perspectives have been shaped. Previously, I’ve spent my time researching how recipes traveled and adapted between East and Central Asia from the 7th to 13th Century CE, including funded research in field.

Currently, I’m pursuing an MPS (Master in Professional Studies) at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunication Program (ITP). I hold an MA in history from Columbia University and a BA in Liberal Arts from NYU. My projects have appeared at NYU Maker Space, Museum of Food and Drinks (MOFAD), Long Island Maker Fair, and NYC Media Lab.

Alien Archive

Overview

Alien Archive is a multi-part project that uses the dumpling as object, metaphor, and cultural lens to explore how identities are shaped, shared, and archived. Migratory and wildly adaptable, dumplings traverse borders and cuisines, carrying with them layers of personal experience and collective memory. The project unfolds across three interconnected components: research, communal experience, and material artifacts—together forming a speculative ethnography of the dumpling as object, ritual, and archive.

Role

Solo project (but received help from many)

Tools

Digital Archives, Resin, Dehydrator, Fusion 360,

Exhibition

NYU ITP Spring Show _ 05/11 - 05/12/2025

Museum of Food and Drink(MOFAD) _ 05/27/2025

The Research

The project began with historical research tracing how the meaning of “dumpling” evolved through migration, adaptation, and cultural negotiation. Analyzing English-language sources from 17th-century pamphlets to contemporary cookbooks, the research reveals how recipes have encoded shifting power structures and identities—from early American “tomato dumplings” as symbols of nationalism to Wontons as Chinese-American “stuffed dumplings” as quiet acts of assimilation. These texts also reflect the presence of alien objects—foreign ingredients, unfamiliar techniques—that later become naturalized.

Recipe books from 16th century till now as primary sources (selection).

Textural Research

As more information gets to digitized and archived, I decided to limit the primary sources used in the project to those that can be publicly accessed for free online. Here, I focus on recipes that's labeled as dumplings. Despite a similar label, there are a myriad of different food item being produced based on their respective recipes.

Interviews

I also reached out to various scholars and artists.

What's the story here?

After getting a rough idea of how dumpling as a label has evolved, I started to narrow down the recipes so a selected few can be combined together to form a coherent narrative.

The Experience

To make visible and improvise on the often-subtle process of cultural adaptation, a communal experience was created: people from different cultural backgrounds gathered in an unfamiliar space to make dumplings together using shared, limited resources. The first cookout transformed Room 450 at 370 Jay into a temporary kitchen, hosting around 50 participants—including students, staff, and their family members. Ingredients were sourced from a range of historical dumpling recipes. As participants mixed, folded, and cooked together, the collective act transformed a domestic ritual into a shared, codified record.

Some of the ingredients. While p

Textural Research

to be continued...

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