Harvard GSD Master in Design Studies
Yirong Yao | Harvard GSD | Tianjin University
To preserve local’s memories
Born and grown in Guangzhou, Yirong is especially aspired to preserve local memories and lifestyles. During her exchange in Milan, Yirong was touched by those delicate old European cities and the stories behind them. Thus, she wants to study how to use design for preserving that kind of local atmosphere.
“Thinking about renovating old buildings, I’m always cautious about taking changes for granted. Because a little change may ruin one’s precious memory. That’s why I want to be a designer, to participate in this process of decision-making. After my talk with Seth, I got to know about MDes CC and was inspired by this program.”
Trust Seth’s judgement
Yirong used to believe that urban planning or urban design matched her best. But screening programs with in-maginative, she has gained deeper insight into each direction and also herself.
“I changed my target program from urban planning to urban design, then to MLA and finally to MDes CC. Seth knows well about each direction and understands the potential in each. And also he is extremely smart and his judgement is somehow, mysterious but marvelous. I chose to work with him because I had a comfortable conversation, which made me trust him. It’s interesting. And I’ve trusted him all the way through.”
Language is like a key
in-maginative always emphasizes developing your personal language. On her way to develop this language, Yirong finally got it.
“When Seth talked about the language thing, I didn’t actually get it. It’s kind of abstract. I spent about half a year exploring what’s my language. I was eager to put everything that I came up with into my expression. Obviously it’s too much. Being confident and relaxed, I found my language. Or I should say the way I prefer to express myself clearly and comfortably...”
Stay calm and keep cool
Yirong has grown throughout her application. She seemed so relaxed and had built a stronger and cooler mindset.
“I changed a lot through the process of developing my portfolio. I can recall that one night in late December, the electricity went out, but I still had many pictures to work on. I was not anxious
as I used to be, and just started to practice yoga. I guess that preparing for my graduate application allows me to learn to make peace with myself.
保留本土记忆
Yirong生于广州、长于广州，她尤其渴望保留当地的记忆和生活方式。在Yirong于米兰交换期间，她被那些精致的古欧洲建筑和它们背后的故事所触动。因此，她想对如何用设计来保护这种传统氛围进行进一步的学习。 “在考虑对老式建筑进行重塑时，我对改造建筑总是保持谨慎的态度。因为稍作改动就可能破坏一个人的珍贵记忆。这就是我想要成为一名设计师，参与这个决策过程的原因。在我与Seth交流之后，我了解了MDes CC这个项目，并且受到了启发。”
相信Seth的判断
曾一直认为，城市规划或城市设计是最适合她的。但当她和Seth一起筛选项目之后，她对每一个方向和她自己都有了更深的了解。 “我把目标项目从城市规划改为了城市设计，后来更改为MLA，最后决定选择申请MDes CC。Seth对每一个方向都很了解，并且知道这些项目未来发展的可能性。而且他十分敏锐，他的判断总是在某种程度上来说神秘但奇妙的。我选择和Seth一起申请时因为我和他的交流非常顺畅，让我增加了对他的信任。这很有趣。我在申请的过程中一直非常信任他。”
语言就像一把钥匙
Seth始终强调要发展个人语言。对于每个人而言，语言都有不同的含义。在Yirong创造个人语言的过程中，她逐渐地找到了属于自己的语言。 “当Seth谈论到关于语言的问题时，我其实并没有弄清楚。它有点抽象。我花了大概一年的时间去探索我的原因到底是什么。我很渴望将自己所有的想法都表达出来，但很显然我的想法有些过多了。当我变得更自信、更放松的时候，我才找到了自己的语言。或者说我更喜欢能够清晰地、舒适地表达自己想法的方式...”
保持冷静，保持理智
在申请的整个过程中，Yirong始终在成长。她看上去一点都不急躁，并且内心变得更强大、更理性。 “在修改作品集的过程中，我改变了很多。我依然记得12月的一个晚上，当时停电了，但我还有很多图要修改。我没有像以前一样干着急，而是开始练瑜伽。我想在研究生申请的过程中，我学会了如何与自己和解。”