Chinese engineer lights up Aussie show

SYDNEY－When Chinese electrical engineer Xiao Jiajie completed his graduate school studies in Australia two years ago, it seemed only natural to him to continue his education and increase his expertise in science and technology by continuing to work in the field.

So, when the opportunity came up to showcase his specialty at one of Australia's largest creative platforms Xiao grasped it.

Banking on China's strengths in light-emitting diode technology, Xiao and his project co-leader Zhang Jiawei then managed to snag an installation spot in Vivid Sydney, the annual festival of light, music and innovation in the capital of Australia's New South Wales state.

"China is certainly a world leader in LED lighting, 3D display and interactive technology. Chinese LED manufacturers themselves produce most of the LED hardware now," Xiao, 26, told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.

"Vivid Sydney is in its 10th year. Some of us have seen it in past years and we realized there haven't been that many artists or participants with Chinese backgrounds involved in it," said Xiao.

"When we attended university here we studied subjects such as electronics and computer programing, so we thought, why not focus on presenting something that China has strengths in, technological strengths and advantages, to bring it to Australia and allow people to see what these strengths are."

The Space Arena, an interactive LED installation by Xiao and his team, is a hollow, container-like structure with an interior draped with LED "curtains" that display images, animation and other visual art. Viewer interactivity comes in the form of graffiti, emoji digital expressions and other messages sent from mobile devices such as smartphones that get visualized in the structure.

The installation is one of the festival's highlights and will be located near Circular Quay during the three-week event, which began on Friday.

The festival also features the multicolored illumination of the iconic Sydney Opera House, talks by filmmaker James Cameron and some of the latest innovations in jazz.

Xiao, who is from China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and has been in Sydney for the past decade, said they had to go through a tough selection process that began late last year to take part in the festival.

The organizers were impressed with the LED installation idea and even provided some financial support, which comprised more than $150,000 dollar, including hardware and setup costs, Xiao said.

A Chinese technology company sponsored the installation.

Xiao, who is now working in a design and technology company in Sydney that uses similar cutting-edge LED applications, said his team aimed to use the latest knowhow to provide stunning visual effects and engage users.

"This is a leading technology and a promising field of engineering. We want to show what China can offer."