Chasing her Dream in Arts in the Variable World

In the fast-changing modern world, everything is always being pushed forward somehow. However, there are some people who choose to take it slow and perceive the beauty of life that may be neglected. 

Indulging in the world of arts, they usually appreciate handmade products more than mechanical ones. They are obsessed with the details and textures of all objects, and they cherish how artworks can express and inspire oneself. 

Dell Z, a Y13 student at Dulwich International High School Zhuhai, is one of those people who slows down for art.

Dell was born in Heilongjiang Province and spent most of her childhood there. The relatively conservative environment in the north might have shaped part of her introverted personality. 

People are often constrained by the present circumstances, and may be unaware of their inner potentials until they enter a new place. Dell moved to Zhuhai with her parents for middle school. When it comes to the climate, the culture or the lifestyle, the coastal areas are completely different from those in the northeast. But to her own surprise, she adapted well to this new environment in a very short time, " I was so shocked myself for being inspired in creativity and innovation by the Southern city, which is full of freedom and openness. I discovered lots of potential in myself here."

Dell’s parents are both big fans of art, and have brought Dell to various exhibitions in China and around the world, “We have been to exhibitions for architecture design, paintings, calligraphy, pottery, tie-dye, artistic installation... My mother told me that art is a subject which engages with people and life. Having the experience with different forms of art, I become more and more curious in the world of the arts, and have grown into an outgoing and open-minded person who is willing to share herself and communicate with different people."

At Dulwich Zhuhai, Dell enjoys more opportunities to get to know herself in the wide range of co-curricular school activities and programs. In the DHZH "Weeks without Walls" activities, she surfed in Sanya, climbed rocks in Yangshuo, where she overcame her fear of height and gradually developed her confidence out of all the accomplishments.  

There was one time with "The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award" activity where she and her classmates from different year groups hiked and camped in the wilderness area of Hong Kong, being unable to take a bath for five days in a row. It was an impressive and unforgettable experience which not only put her through a test of survival and determination, but also offered her the opportunity to establish solid friendship with Dulwich schoolmates.

Dell mentioned, “Arts usually starts with an abstract idea, and we have to implement it through research, analysis and practice. At Dulwich Zhuhai, the age barrier is broken by the House system, as well as by various domestic and overseas opportunities. This allows me to constantly try different new things and make new friends of different ages. Hanging out with schoolmates from different year grades have triggered infinite inspiration and imagination in me, as well as my in-depth understanding of life, which are all helpful for my artwork design and production.”

Across all subdivision of the arts, Dell is fond of handmade products, especially fabrics and texture. In 2020, with the deflower and flower-knocking techniques for fabric tie-dyeing, she created her first handmade artwork Reborn, inspired by the traditional Mexican celebration of Dead (Día de Muertos). The art piece has been submitted for her university applications. She believes that art is boundless without limitation or restrictions, and artists can fully express the deepest sides of themselves with various art forms. "In the world of arts, you will feel that the rational world could have become so emotional, and time would have been slowed down for more possibilities."

Being inspired by different media formats, she has developed a collection of fashion design and named it The Salvation of Love. Based on the novel FerryMan by Claire Macfall, she combined fine art and fabric design to express the abstract concept of 'love' in the form of fashion by leveraging her skills in crocheting and hand-weaving, applying colour variation with a different arrangement of yarns to tell the story in her fashion work.

She further added that art can convey emotions and has the power to heal and soothe. Recalling the weeks waiting for her university offers, Dell said, “many classmates were under pressure and anxiety, but I felt quite calm when only focusing on creating my artwork.”

Dell made fun of herself by saying that "my brain often operates in a slow speed". There are always many ideas popping up in Dell’s mind, but she found it difficult to categorise things smoothly and efficiently, especially when it came university options. However, with the guidance and support from Dulwich Zhuhai's art department and university counselors, she was able to gradually sort things out and become clearer about her career pathway in the future.

Among all the university offers, Dell prefers the University of Edinburgh (QS World University Ranking Top 20) most.  She believes that she would benefit a lot by studying in an integrated school, where there are a lot of opportunities in different curriculums, as well as collaboration with people who are not from the art major for igniting sparks of creativity and innovation. 

During the graduation season, Dell plans to cooperate with her classmate, who is a major in architecture, to a joint art piece, combining architecture and fashion design, the two professional fields which look irrelevant. She imagined that they could inspire each other from architectural shape to internal structure, from clothing silhouette to fabric, in short, boundlessly.

With adream of designing the wedding dress for herself, Dell wishes to have her own design studio in the future, where she could continue her study in fabric for fashion design and explore every possibility in the arts.