Vivian (Wei-Chen) Hsieh

About

Vivian Hsieh is a spatial design practitioner with a strong interest in how space shapes, and is shaped by human experience. Her practice is grounded in the belief that spatial design extends beyond physical arrangement, offering opportunities to evoke emotional resonance and express cultural memory through atmosphere, material, and sensory perception.

During her MA studies at the RCA, Vivian developed Greenlight, a speculative film set in a near-future airport governed by an Eco-Security regime. The project employs spatial storytelling to explore how environmental policies can evolve into tools of surveillance and control, highlighting the thresholds between freedom and regulation. Employing methods such as horizon scanning, narrative mapping, and scenario building, Greenlight reflects her commitment to using speculative design as a critical lens to interrogate systems of power, identity, and material culture.

Trained in interior design, Vivian approaches space as both a lived condition and a narrative medium. She often works through immersive observation, allowing subtle cues such as shifts in light, texture, or rhythm to reveal the deeper stories embedded in everyday environments. Her work is driven by a sensitivity to the intangible aspects of space and how these affect our sense of belonging, identity, and connection.

Vivian’s design ethos is rooted in curiosity, empathy, and critical inquiry. She is particularly drawn to liminal spaces, thresholds, in-betweens, and zones of transition, viewing them as moments of negotiation and possibility. Through research-driven and speculative approaches, she explores how spatial design can question existing systems, respond to socio-political conditions, and imagine alternative futures.