Chou’s snapshot animations emphasise the “simple” shape and movement of plants

One of Chou’s favourite subjects to explore in her grainy, snapshot animations is plants. Though rather than seeking out any particularly lavish or unique foliage, Chou is drawn to those she encounters everyday – the bushes in the park, or those lining a street. What’s most attractive to Chou is the “simple shapes” of such plants; the oval shape of petals, the rounded head of a tree, the harsh lines of a freshly trimmed hedge. With her short, slightly jerky looping animation style, Chou also aims to capture the movement of plants, the subtle shake of leaves in the wind, or the slow unfurling of flower buds.

The broader themes in Chou’s work come from her adverse experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, whether it was over-cleaning, and the impact of long periods spent at home. One piece that particularly reflects this sentiment is Nature Explorer, a person staring at an image of rolling hills before the animation pans out to show them sitting within the very hills, reflecting the way people sought escape through their screens throughout the pandemic.

Since childhood Chou has drawn much of her inspiration from Japanese culture, like anime and manga, and Japanese graphic designers, like Tadanori Yokoo and Yoshio Hayakawa who have both had “the most profound influence on my compositions”, says Chou. Now, Chou lives in Tokyo, where she works as graphic designer for a design company, after moving from her Taiwan home.