HOME AGE V.2 - revisited (2025) + You Wouldn’t Steal a TV exhibited @ V&A Friday Late ft. Eastern Margins
︎︎︎ Installation full view, Tapestry Room, V&A,
Photo © Hydar Dewachi
"HOME AGE V.2 - revisited" is an alternative version of the previous ‘HOME AGE (2024)’ artwork originally commissioned by arebyte Gallery.
This artwork was exhibited in the Tapestry Rooms of the V&A during one of the Friday Lates on 29th August 2025, a night co-curated by the ESEA music + art agency and collective, Eastern Margins.
NEW INTERACTION: now has integrated audio, the closer an audience member’s face is close to the webcam, the more visually distorted and noisy the mosaic becomes and the audio switches from a meditative track to Ariel Karsh’s rendition of Beethoven’s Sonate Pathétique n9.
In addition, every 7 minutes, the mosaic tiles increase in size and decreases in its selection, eventally only showing a single image on screen for 1 minute (which are selected randomly from a curated set of bittersweet childhood photographs). After 1 minute, the webcam mosaic-feed resets to extremely small tile sizes which continues to increase in size over 7 minutes, thus repeating the loop.
︎︎︎ In addition to showing HOME AGE V.2 + You Wouldn’t Steal a TV, mini shrines and Ainsi Sonne le Glas was setup as we had leftover Tet envelopes and hand-threaded bracelets from the original arebyte show. Here is an audience member hitting the Tibetan singing bowl once before taking a red Tet envelope containing a (blessed) bracelet.
Exhibited at Friday Late ‘Future Margins’, Curated by V&A, Carrie Chan, Faunsia Tucker and Eastern Margins
Installation curation by Caleb Sharpe
Graphic design assistance by Safiya Ahmed
Ainsi sonne le glas (2024)
The expression is often used to signify the end or demise of something, signalling a decisive or irreversible moment, much like the tolling of a funeral bell. This work signifies the final goodbye before the audience’s souls find peace in their next lifetime.
The audience is invited to take one of the red Têt envelopes in the Tibetan bowl which contain handmade bracelets, their colours denoting each of the three themes within the exhibition of Refusal, Understanding and Acceptance.
The bracelets are also blessed by myself, providing good luck and prosperity, as well as fulfilling a wish for those who wear them until they break or fall off.
This work invites participants to connect with the universal thread that binds humanity in shared rituals of closure and reflection, serving as a symbolic punctuation mark.
Medium: Hand-threaded bracelets, personally blessed by the artist, Têt envelopes, Tibetan singing bowl + hitter, flyposted A4 inkjet printed Vietnamese and Tibetan Buddhist iconography pasted on concrete columns
Handmade bracelets: Rebecca Edwards and Maria Than
Pure Land (2024)
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Mirroring the intricate methods of sand drawing, each ‘grain’ or ‘diamond’ is individually fixed onto the canvas at a particular point, almost as if each soul destined for reincarnation back into the world is placed onto their next life.
Medium: AI-generated collage, diamond painting production on fabric, flyposted A4 inkjet printed Vietnamese and Tibetan Buddhist iconography pasted on concrete columns
Collaborator and diamond production: Mathilde Rougier
Un de perdu, dix de retrouvés (2024)
Video credit: Aanchal Saxena
‘Un de perdu, dix de retrouvés / plenty of fish in the sea’ serves as a profound meditation on impermanence, echoing the play between creation and dissolution.
Inspired by Tibetan sand mandala practices, this immersive experience allows participant contribution to the ever-evolving artwork, but also glean insights into the profound wisdom embedded in the impermanence of existence found in Tibetan and Vietnamese Buddhist practices and teachings.
The sand-projected AI-generated paintings of the 'Three Saints of the West’ become entangled and warped through different levels of sand being displaced and moved by the audience’s hands. Movements are captured by a live webcam feed connected to
TouchDesigner set up by creative technologist Jasan Waldura, which in turn manipulates the projected image, blurring the boundaries between creator and creation.
Medium: Projection on sand, depth-tracking, AI-aided collage and AI-generated animation (using Google Collab Deforum Stable Diffusion)
Technical collaborator: Jasan Waldura
Buddha’s pinkie toe is the size of the Earth’s sky (2024)
The soaps are fragranced with floral scents of jasmine and rose. These key fragrances, purposefully dispersed by my mother around the house and within the shrine area, serve as a core memory for me, intertwining tactility and the nuance of these familiar smells.
In the narrative of Refusal, Understanding and Acceptance, the soaps are lit and provide a path for the audience to traverse each stage of the exhibition. The calming influence of the fragrances, and the process of making the soaps, mirror the laborious process of repetition and devotion observed during summer holiday prayers.
Medium: Hand-made orange, red, yellow lotus flower, gemstone and jade buddha soaps, red rose and jasmine floral essence
Bulle Personnelle (2024)
READ ONE OF THE SIX STORIES BELOW ︎︎︎
Download PDF readable file here.
Crafted by 3D designer Petter Schölander with my oral storytelling, it explores the impermanence of memories and emotions, embodying Buddhist principles of life's transitory nature. Objects in the VR signify six distinct family stories, complemented by a soundtrack by Ariel Karsh that reinterprets Beethoven's Sonata Pathétique, reflecting on nostalgia and the fleeting moments of existence.
This virtual exhibition blends personal recollections with the broader universal concept of impermanence, encouraging deep reflection on the ephemeral quality of human experiences.
Medium: VR short film, six illustrated concertinas, handmade soaps, carpet, custom digital print on shower curtain
3D Collaborator: Petter Schölander Duration: 5 min
Credits:
Creative and conceptual development: Maria Than
Concertinas, illustrations, soaps: Maria Than
3D modelling: Petter Schölander
Audio by Ariel Karsh, remix of Beethoven’s Sonate Pathétique number 9.
Troi Oi! (2024)
In UNDERSTANDING, the main installation "Trời ơi! / Oh My God!" is an 8-screen art installation bathed in orange lighting that merges the concepts of karma and surveillance, comparing the omnipresent watch of Buddhas to modern CCTV systems, and thriving towards a deeper understanding of the intents behind the prescriptions of my Viet Buddhist cultural upbringing.
It shows my life through various webcams and animations over eight hours, emphasising the idea that one's actions are always being monitored—both divinely and technologically. The work creatively engages with the unquantifiable nature of karma, likening it to a video game where one might "restart" with a clean slate.
This blend of religious symbolism, technological oversight, and cultural references, presents a contemporary take on accountability and the inescapability of being watched, inviting reflection on spiritual and social surveillance.
Medium: 8 screens, AI-generated animations, hand-drawn animations, livestream footage, handmade soaps
Photo: Max Colson @ arebyte Gallery, London, 2024
HOME AGE V.1 (2023-2024)
As the audience sits on the prayer cushions to watch
TV, a webcam captures their movements onto a live
projection behind the screens, where each pixel is
replaced by an AI generated image of a god/ddess and
engulfes the audience in maximalist religious
iconography, a reminder that Big Buddhas are watching
you and the prayer never stops.
As the user moves to the repetitive, calm tempo of the
Buddhist mantra Nam Mô A Di Đà Phật, translated from
Vietnamese as ‘Homage to Buddha Amitābha’, their
movements are engulfed by the maximalist religious
iconography, a juxtaposition found in both Buddhism
and Hinduism which are reminders of the contrast
between those singular moments of quiet focus and the
disorganised world in which we live.
Medium: Interactive, Webcam, TouchDesigner
Technical collaborator: Jasan Waldura
Photo: Max Colson @ arebyte Gallery, London, 2024
You Wouldn’t Steal a TV (2024)
In REFUSAL, the main installation You Wouldn’t Steal a
TV is an interactive piece composed of 3 LED panels
mimicking CRT 90’s TV sets showing AI-generated
manipulations of The Simpsons, South Park and
Malcolm in the Middle, interspersed with flashing
images of the vietnamese Nam Mo A Di Da Phat prayer
in a Karaoke style.
The whole area is bathed in red wit a soundscape of angry vietnamese parents yelling an fighting that I sourced from a Viet TV drama on YouTube.
Medium: LED panels, AI generative mini-models trained datasets of Simpsons, South Park and Malcolm in the Middle,
custom Karaoké video-art, handmade soaps, VHS sleeves, plastic orange prayer stands, archival Vietnamese magazines and prayer booklets, sound.
Artwork assistant: Caleb Sharpe
Photo: Max Colson @ arebyte Gallery, London, 2024
HOMAGE TO QUAN ÂM - solo show at arebyte, Gallery (2024)
Making: between mid-2023 til mid-2024
Homage To Quan Âm, a solo show by London based artist Maria Than, delves deep into the intricate layers of persona identity, cultural assimilation, and the evolution of self-discovery. Drawing inspiration from Than’s upbringing in a Vietnamese-British-French Buddhist family, the exhibition titled after Quan Âm, the Vietnamese name for the Bodhisattva (Buddhist deity) associated with Compassion, Mercy and Medicine.
Incorporating animation, interactive digital works, virtual
reality, AI and computer-generated imagery, the exhibitio traverses the artist’s childhood memories marked by the dichotomy between familial and religious traditions, and the desire to fit into more mainstream cultural environments those that felt more like her non-religious peers.
The body of work unfolds a narrative that mirrors the
fragmented nature of identity formation through three
states:
REFUSAL, symbolising the fear of isolation from early childhood;
UNDERSTANDING, signifying the compassionate
appreciation of family;
ACCEPTANCE, representing the embracing of heritage.
READ THE EXHIBITION BOOKLET
EVENTS PROGRAMME 2024
Panel DiscussionLost Archives Found is an open table discussion and oral storytelling exchange with artist Maria Than and publisher Trà My Hickin, centred around preservation and heritage. Listen to the recording below.
Artist Tour
Sat 27 Apr 2024, 1:30 - 2:15pm
Sat 30 Mar 2024, 1:30 - 2:15pm
Artist Maria Than tours Homage To Quan Âm, exploring the themes of refusal, understanding and acceptance.
Photos by Max Colson, arebyte Gallery, London, 2024
HOMAGE TO QUAN ÂM @ AREBYTE - WINNER OF HOTEL GENERATION 2024 - interview + press + info
So I’ve been selected as the winner of this year’s arebyte’s Hotel Generation program 2023/2024!
Part of arebyte 2023/24 programme The Body, The Mind, The Soul
PRESS:
- Homage to Quan Âm in Anti-Materia (2024)
- Homage To Quan Âm in Something Curated (2024)
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Homage To Quan Âm in FishEye Immersive (2024)
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Homage To Quan Âm in Woo (2024)
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Homage To Quan Âm in Art Plugged (2024)
- Homage To Quan Âm in DVAN (2024)
DATES
THURSDAY 28 MARCH - 19 MAY 2024
Curated Tour
Sat 30 Mar 2024, 1:30 - 2:15pm
@ arebyte Gallery, Java House, 7 Botanic Square, London City Island E14 0LG
Homage To Quan Âm, by artist Maria Than, delves deep into the intricate layers of personal identity, cultural assimilation, and the evolution of self-discovery. Quan Âm, the Viet name of Bodhisattva (Buddhist deity) of Compassion, Mercy and Medicine, has been the favourite goddess of many, including Maria. Drawing inspiration from Maria’s own experiences growing up in a Vietnamese-British-French Buddhist family, the exhibition serves as a visual and emotional exploration of the complex journey away from refusal, and towards acceptance and understanding.
Homage To Quan Âm forms part of arebyte’s artistic focus for 2023/26 themed The Body, The Mind, The Soul and traverses buried childhood memories, mortality, and identity through animation, CGI, AI-generated imagery, interactive digital works and virtual reality to unfold a personal, but relatable, account of staying with the trouble of becoming. Homage To Quan Âm suggests an assimilation with other narratives through the lens of Buddhist philosophy, fostering personal connections that transcend cultural divides and resonate on a deeply human level.
Growing up, Maria’s childhood was marked by the dichotomy between familial and religious traditions, and a desire to conform with more mainstream cultural environments, those that felt more like her non-religious peers. Facing external racism and discrimination, Maria “denied her Vietnamese roots, leading to a fractured sense of self”.
Artist: Maria Than
Artwork assistants: Caleb Sharpe, Jasan Waldura, Petter Schölander, Mathilde Rougier, Tam Than
Sound design: Maria Than, Ariel Karsh, Ben Ibbotson
Exhibition Production: arebyte
Exhibition Curation: arebyte
Fabricators/technicians: George Browne, Dmitry Timofeev, Peter McNelis, Bertie Simpson, Debbie Spink
Graphic design: Camilla Does
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
DEAR UPSTAIRS NEIGHBOR (2023) -RESIDENCY @ AIXDESIGN
Did I tell you about the one where I collaborated with animator Connie He as a creative technologist to make an animated teaser using AI?
Dear Upstairs Neighbor is a story about a tired artist who goes to bed after a hard day of work, only for her upstairs neighbor to throw a massive flat party.
COLLABORATION with Connie He,
MENTORED by Mark Veerkampf
Role: Prompt engineering, 2D animation, Video-editingSoftwares: Stable Diffusion, RunwayML, OpenAI, Midjourney, Premiere Pro and Photoshop.
Sound Design: Shu Hui Yao
Screened at:
- NEW INC @ New York City
- MACA @ Amsterdam
- The Wrong Biennale @ online
This work was developed as part of the STORY&CODE program - an artist residency and research project by AIxDESIGN and Sublab experimenting with and reflecting on the role of AI in animation specifically, and storytelling at large.
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶
READ ABOUT THE PROJECT ON AIXDESIGN WEBSITE’S!
HOME AGE TO AVALOKITEŚVARA (2023)
Did I tell you about the one where I used AI and archival footage to explore my childhood as a second generation Vietnamese Buddhist?
COLLABORATION with AI image and video generators
Role: Prompt engineering, Script writing, Sound design and recording with Benjamin Ibbotson, Creative Direction, Video editing
Software: RunwayML, DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
Augmented Reality x AI artworks: my symbiotic relationship with technology (2022)
Did I tell you about the one where I created a series of Augmented Reality x AI artworks to emulate and mirror my symbiotic love-hate relationship with technology?
COLLABORATION with AI image generators
Role: Prompt engineering, Augmented Reality, Sound design
Software: DALL-E 2, Midjourney, Spark AR, Blender
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
Welcome to SpiderPlant MV (2022)
Did I tell you about the one where we made a music video by 3D-scanning our flat?
COLLABORATION with Ben Ibbotson (aka SpiderPlant)
Role: 3D scanning, camera in Unity, editing
Software: 3D scanning app on iPad Pro, Unity, Premiere Pro
Shortlisted for a London International Creative Competition in 2023 (Photo / Video category)
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
A Renaissance painting of an Asian woman with green hair wearing a VR headset (2022)
Did I tell you about the one where I generated a bunch of AI-generated Renaissance paintings?
Experimentation + blog post
Role: Prompt engineering
Software: DALL-E 2, no-code AI image generator by OpenAI
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
The Pollinator’s Revenge (2020)
Did I tell you about the one where I digitally assault the user with swarms of bees?
SOLO work
Role: Augmented Reality, Poster Design
Software: Spark AR, Photoshop
Exhibited in Paris, France (CADAF, 2021) and Dean Clough Galleries, Halifax (2020) as part of the climate change ‘Business As Usual’ show
Awarded as a Finalist by the London International Creative Competition Award in the Create (Art) category in 2023
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
MUCCHASE (2022)
Did I tell you about the one where we created an AR treasure hunt in Munich, Germany?
COLLABORATION with Ricebox Studio, 3D by Petter Schölander
Client: Responsive Fashion Institute
Role: Project lead, Augmented Reality design, UX, social media content, research
Softwares: Spark AR, Illustrator, Photoshop
Exhibited in Central Munich for 1 month
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
A Load of Waffle (2018)
Did I tell you about the one where we built a waffle piano to criticise political waffling?
COLLABORATIVE with Hope Roalfe, Suphorn Somboonchai, Suprina Gurung, Gene Kulkosa
Role: Conceptual & technical lead, physical computing, code
Softwares: Processing, MakeyMakey, Photoshop
Exhibited at Lumen Awards x V&A Digital Futures
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
TELL ME ABOUT IT!
Simply Complicated (2019)
Did I tell you about the one where I co-developed a video-game about our biggest design failure?
COLLABORATION with Bristy Azmi, game development help from Jude White, music by Ben Ibbotson
Role: Branding, video-game design and development, 2D animation, electrical engineering, physical computing, 3D design, social media content
Softwares: Unity, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Arduino
Exhibited at Somerset House, London (Digital Edge 2019)
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 (never again)
Tell me about it!
On Your Side (2022 upcoming)
Did I tell you about the one where we developed the UK’s first national helpline system to support our fellow Asians victims of hate crimes?
COLLABORATIVE client work with Ricebox Studio
Client: Protection Approaches
Role: UX/UI web design, Typeform design
Softwares: Figma
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
I'll tell you once i'm ready 🤫
Static Resolution (2018-2021)
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Did I tell you about the one time I did fashion, designed a lookbook about Black Friday and developed an AR canvas?
SOLO work, model: Krystyna Pezinska
Role: Augmented Reality, fashion design, publication design, photography, editing
Softwares: Nikon, InDesign, Laser printer, Photoshop, Artivive
Exhibited at Copeland Gallery, London (Every Woman Bieniale, 2021) and Truman Brewery (Made In Arts London, 2019)
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 (the fashion + photography, not the AR)
Tell me about it!
Check-out (2019)
Did I tell you about the one where we made people buy a chicken on a fake Amazon website?
COLLABORATION with Anna Tsuda, 3D help from Kelvin Yuen
Role: Branding, video-game design, research, publication design, 3D design, UX/UI, web design and development
Softwares: Illustrator, Photoshop, CNC cutter, HTML/CSS/JS
Exhibited at Somerset House, London (Digital Edge 2019)
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
Welcome to Happyland (2020)
Did I tell you about the one where I built an emotion recognition machine about the dangers of AI surveillance?
COLLABORATION with the Digital Maker Collective and CRIN
Role: Project leader, creative producer, coding, machine learning, workshop design, social media
Softwares: Python, Photoshop, InDesign, Arduino, OpenCV, Processing
Exhibited at Tate Exchange, Tate Modern, London (2020)
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
Indulgences (2021-ongoing)
Did I tell you about the one where I use AR to illustrate my shifty moods on period days?
SOLO work, music by DANKMUS
Role: Augmented Reality, Illustration
Softwares: Procreate, Photoshop, Artivive
Exhibited at Superchief Gallery NFT (New York City) and Copeland Gallery, London (Every Woman Bieniale, 2021)
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶
Tell me about it!
Children’s Access to Environmental Justice (2022)
Did I tell you about the one where I co-designed 43 reports on environmental justice based in 43 countries?
COLLABORATION with Ricebox Studio
Client: Child Rights International Network
Role: Project manager, Web design, HTML/CSS/JS, social media
Softwares: InDesign, Squarespace, Illustrator
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
TECHBOX (2020-ongoing)
Did I tell you about the one where we are teaching AR to hundreds of people across the globe?
COLLABORATION with Ricebox Studio
Clients and partners include: Artivive, Daisie App, Central Saint Martins, Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbleon College of Arts, Hyper Island, UAL Creative Computing Institute, Peckham Levels, Responsive Fashion Institute, Three UK, Our Sisterhood, Westfield Creative Futures Bank and many more
Role: Workshop designer and co-host, Spark AR tutor, design ideation tutor
Softwares: Artivive, Spark AR, Photoshop, Canva
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
Red Cloud Project (2019-2020)
Did I tell you about the one where we developed a period education campaign?
COLLABORATION with Ricebox Studio
Client: Fellowship with Child Rights International Network
Role: Publication design, research, interviews, user research and testing, web design, illustration, 3D design
Softwares: Illustrator, Procreate, InDesign, Arduino
Exhibited at Tate Modern, London for International Women’s Day (Tate Exchange 2020)
#MenstruationConversation won a Creative Conscience Award (2021) and was presented at Sheffield University’s Menstruation in the Media Conference (2022)
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
Envisions Paper (2022)
Did I tell you about the one where I contributed to a paper on the future of AI and young people?
Client: Feminist Internet
Role: Research, workshop design and host
Published in an international paper led by Feminist Internet and Goethe Institute co-authored by 30 other creative technologists, artists, educators and activists.
Stepping out of comfort zone: 🌶🌶
Tell me about it!
Watch my AR showreel (2021)
For my Spark AR filter work (Instagram + Facebook AR filters), check out my Instagram account (mobile only). If you don’t have Instagram, check out my portfolio here. (Only works done on my own, for collaborative projects refer to work above, some effects are missing too).