Biography
Supervisor: Michael Keith
College Affiliation: St. Antony’s
Xiangyu’s research investigates the formation of emergent communities within contemporary conditions characterised by hypermobility, fragmented geographic territories, and pervasive digital connectedness. His work examines how individuals and collectives adopt and adapt to blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies, scrutinising how participation in these socio-technical ecosystems fundamentally challenges established epistemological foundations of money, value, territoriality, and sovereignty.
Xiangyu holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Zhejiang University and has spent six years in the agricultural machinery and sustainable resources industry, progressing to Managing Director of ChangFa Group's Zambian branch. He later transitioned to documentary photography, completing a BA at the Catalunya Institute of Photographic Studies and advanced studies in Documentary Photography and Photojournalism at Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts. His documentary work, examining the impact of digital technology on collective identity, has earned international recognition, including First Place in Issue Reporting Picture Story at Picture of the Year Asia and a selection as one of 100 Global Emerging Artists by the Prince Claus Foundation in 2022. Most recently, he completed his MSc in Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.