be selfish
(for the future we want to see)
by shirley wu
@shirleywu.studio
Philippines
China
Japan
United States
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
financial stability
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
Send Me Love, SFMOMA
hong kong artists, women, M+
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
Send Me Love, SFMOMA
hong kong artists, women, M+
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
2025
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
experimental
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
experimental
conventional
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
stop being so picky
stop being so selfish
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
...but what does “meet the needs of the market” even look like for me?
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
Not Just Library
Songshan Cultural and Creative Park
Tadao Ando
Axis Design Magazine Vol. 232
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
Ando Museum, Naoshima, Japan ↑
↑ Benesse Hotel Museum, Naoshima, Japan
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
the way forward isn’t to be less selfish.
it’s to be more selfish.
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
Church of the Light
Tadao Ando Architect & Associates © Mitsuo Matsuoka
disclaimer
in researching for this talk I found out that I misremembered the story and Ando himself was never at risk of bankruptcy, it was actually the construction company that ultimately donated the funds to finish the project, but this doesn't change my realizations!
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
I've finally found the future I want to see
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
so what is the future I want to see?
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
2023
Untitled
(we still land, home)
Chinese calligraphy ink, fabric, pump, data, Arduino.
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
video by ITP Documentation Lab
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
video by ITP Documentation Lab
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
video by ITP Documentation Lab
video by ITP Documentation Lab
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
video by ITP Documentation Lab
where data doesn't look like data
there's a future I want to see
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
2022
"though a patriarchy would privilege the changelessness of the sun over the inconstancy of the moon and you"
Red ink, wood, acrylic, copper tube, pump, data, Arduino.
cw: fake blood
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
video by ITP Documentation Lab
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
photo by ITP Documentation Lab
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
there are some datasets and topics that are too emotional for the pixel perfection of a computer screen
where data can be messy,
imprecise, ambiguous, uncertain,
rich, and full of emotion
there's a future I want to see
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
2025.09.23–28 @ MIDORI.so, Tokyo, Japan
curated by Karella Mara Raffinan, photo by Maya Morita
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
when we can grow up thousands of miles from our ancestral homes
In an age defined by global movement and digital connectivity
how do we define "home", and our places of belonging?
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
January 2025
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
United States
Philippines
China
Japan
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
2025
deportation
washi paper, watercolor, pump, data, Arduino.
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
videos by Tommaso Barbetta
photos by Karella Mara Raffinan & Maya Morita
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
videos by Tommaso Barbetta
photos by Karella Mara Raffinan & Maya Morita
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
videos by Tommaso Barbetta
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
photos by Maya Morita
video by Tommaso Barbetta
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
2025
home:1–8
washi paper, watercolor, custom frame, data.
home:collective
data, local LLM, projector.
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
Philippines
China
Japan
United States
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
photo by Karella Mara Raffinan
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
photo by Karella Mara Raffinan
videos by Tommaso Barbetta
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
video by Tommaso Barbetta
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
videos by Tommaso Barbetta
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
videos by Tommaso Barbetta
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
photo by Maya Morita
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
photo by Maya Morita
where data can be small and slow and prioritizes care
there's a future I want to see
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
where it can be a physical place of belonging
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
film's audience grew with it
vs.
newsrooms built dataviz for an existing audience that just needed to be informed.
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
the current state of our industry is as if the film industry stuck with the first genre it found that worked well...and stopped there.
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
What is our version of a film that makes us cry, that moves us, that gives us a glimpse into another life, that fundamentally changes us forever?
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
Where data doesn’t have to look like data
that's the future I want to see
Where it can be messy, ambiguous, and full of emotion
Where it can be about care and a physical place of belonging
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
that's the future I want to see
Where data can make us cry, gives us a glimpse into another life, and fundamentally change us forever
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
"When do I know I'm ready?"
"You won't. It's a leap of faith."
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse © Sony Pictures Entertainment
what is the future you want to see?
be selfish (for the future we want to see)
shirley wu @shirleywu.studio
thank you.
& to Nadieh, Pei Ying, and husband for all the feedback on this talk🙏
