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Graphic Design

Silin Lu

about-Silin Lu

Silin Lu is a graphic designer from Guangzhou, China.

She studied Visual Communication at Jiangnan University from 2016 to 2020, part of which included a study exchange in Florence, Italy. In 2021, she secured a work placement at Tencent, in Shenzhen, where she gained work experience as a visual designer in an internet company. 

On graduating from the Royal College of Art, she will continue exploring her visual communication practice in London and Milan.

Show Location: Battersea campus: Studio Building, First Floor

Silin Lu-statement

What if we tried to create subconsciously?

Automatic Journey aims to explore and encourage subconscious free creation among creative practitioners suffering from creative blocks. To achieve this aim, automatic drawing, preceded by walking meditation, is used to relax and stimulate the participants.

Initially inspired by Surrealist automatism methods, this project – Automatic Art – is presented as a rebellious act. Automatic mark-making is applied to militate against obsessiveness caused by purpose-driven methods of creation. During this creative process, one must put effort into reaching a state of mind that supports subconscious thought – to help strip away the act of making from its purpose. 

My practice is focused on devising structures and parameters that provide conditions for this state to be reached. Possibilities for individual and collective automatic drawing are explored and the process and result in each designed session is carefully documented.

Automatic Semicircles, media item 1
Automatic Semicircles, media item 2
Automatic Semicircles, media item 3
Automatic Semicircles, media item 5
Automatic Semicircles, media item 6

In 2021, I started making daily automatic drawings. 

I used a single element – in this case, a randomly selected digital brush.

The date, time and duration of my mark-making are carefully documented alongside notes on what I was thinking during this time of activity.

This is a valuable, ongoing record of my methods, processes and outcomes.

Workshop Guide
Workshop Guide – Workshop participants are encouraged to walk 6 times around the designated route. In order not to affect the unconscious state of the participants, the workshop tried to avoid using video recordings and photography to record the content of the activities.
During the first and second rounds, they are invited to hold their first drawing materials and experience walking whilst trying not to think about anything. This step is all about getting themselves i
During the first and second rounds, they are invited to hold their first drawing materials and experience walking whilst trying not to think about anything. This step is all about getting themselves into the subconscious state by engaging in walking meditation.
Starting from the third round, participants are given the opportunity to start drawing with the materials they have while still focusing on their walking. When they are finishing the round, they can d
Starting from the third round, participants are given the opportunity to start drawing with the materials they have while still focusing on their walking. When they are finishing the round, they can drop their drawing materials on the table and get something different from the assistant. The process is repeated during the following rounds.
The choice of the drawing materials is random so it may be very unfamiliar to the participants. This can help reduce the creative pressure on the participants. The workshop sets up forms for particip
Launch Project
The choice of the drawing materials is random so it may be very unfamiliar to the participants. This can help reduce the creative pressure on the participants. The workshop sets up forms for participants to record how they feel when drawing and how they feel about other participants' work. The process and outcome of the workshops can be found on the Instagram account @rca_automaticjourney

Suffering a creative block caused by self-imposed demands on the imagination can be a common dilemma among creatives. So I've held several workshops on this.


The workshop’s purpose is to share the automatic creating method, enabling participants to have a relaxing journey, full of joy, which will help them to break this negative cycle.

The first automatic drawing event – The collective automatic drawing event has been held twice. During these events, participants practiced walking meditation around the long table canvas for more than 3 rounds, engaging in free and unconscious creations whilst walking.
Everyone has their own way of walking; some people walk in pairs holding hands, some people walk in a crab-walk facing the table, some people walk in a jump… and so on. 
Everyone has their own way of walking; some people walk in pairs holding hands, some people walk in a crab-walk facing the table, some people walk in a jump… and so on. 
In the process of creation, everyone tried their best to avoid thinking about the purpose and meaning of creation.
In the process of creation, everyone tried their best to avoid thinking about the purpose and meaning of creation.
Subconscious Collective Creation, media item 4
The second automatic drawing event
Collective Creation 01
Collective Creation 01
Collective Creation 02
Collective Creation 02

This is a platform where we use the automatic drawing act to produce a less inhibited drawing process and experience.

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Royal College of Art

Registered Office: Royal College of Art,
Kensington Gore, South Kensington,
London SW7 2EU