Yarina Dai

Bio

Yarina Dai is based in Shanghai, China. She earned a BFA in Metals and Jewelry from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in 2022, followed by an MFA in Jewelry + Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2024, receiving the Glancy Award and RISD’s 2024 Fine Arts Graduate Award. Through speculative design, Yarina Dai creates a futuristic vision that blends nature and technology with the human body, employing innovative processes that mix the digital and physical skills, such as 3D printing and electroforming, her work addressing themes of reliance, addiction, mental health, and the ethics of artificial intervention in natural evolution.

Statement

In my exploration of the ethical boundaries concerning our intervention in natural evolution, I challenge the position of self in relation to both technology and nature. Shaped by experiences in urban nature settings, laboratory investigations, and immersive virtual reality encounters, my perspective informs a vision of a speculative future unveiled through my jewelry. Here, bioengineering intertwines with wearable technology, where genetically edited plants take on specialized functions, acting as companions that enhance and assist the wearer.

Inspired by visits to labs like MIT’s Media Lab and Tufts University’s Silklab, I examine bioengineering and genetic modification, imagining bioengineered wearables with new functions. My speculative world, set in 2300, features a biotech corporation, Naturify, leading advancements in living jewelry. Through the creative fusion of 3D printing and AI-generated visuals, this narrative delves deep into themes of dependency, addiction, mental well-being, and the evolving emotional bonds we form with our technological creations.

CV