Member Profile: Melody Li
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I am an Associate Lecturer in Animation at the University of New South Wales. I started teaching animation while I was working as an animator in the industry around 8 years ago, and I discovered my passion in the overlapping area of animation and education. Contributing to the community and seeing students’ growth is extremely rewarding, I then decided to fully dedicate to animation education.
2. What was your first job?
My first job was as a motion graphics designer for Augmented Reality at Baurer Media in Sydney. The fun part of the job was that my colleagues and I used to get on the floor and walk like dinosaurs to observe and feel the movement traits of various dinosaurs in order to animate them for the Australian Geographic series. When the movie Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines came out, we brainstormed many crazy ideas and animated the movie teaser with face melting effects for the front cover of Empire Magazine to build an immersive augmented experience for the viewer. By seeing the merged animation with reality, it felt quite real as if the Terminator came to life.
3. Where did you complete your formal education?
I completed Bachelor of Digital Media at the Communication University of China, Master of Digital Media at the University of New South Wales, and Master of Design at the University Technology, Sydney. Having both formal education in China and in Australia helped me understand education from cultural perspectives and on a philosophical level which became the engine for my habit of continuous learning.
4. How did you first get involved with ACM SIGGRAPH?
Thanks to my colleagues’ encouragement and support from work, I went to SIGGRAPH Asia for the first time in 2022 in Daegu, South Korea. It was eye-opening to learn, to see, and to meet like-minded people. In 2023, I helped review the animation submissions for the 2023 SIGGRAPH Asia Computer Animation Festival. There were many incredible works. A huge congratulations to the artists who produced the works. There was so much hard work the SIGGRAPH team and contributors put in for the conference, a big shoutout to thank them.
5. What is your favorite memory of a SIGGRAPH conference?
My favorite memory of a SIGGRAPH conference was travelling with my colleague
to Daegu, South Korea to explore the art and science of computer graphics as well as the South Korean culture. A very nice company made a big difference compared to if I was travelling on my own. I also love the combination of computer graphics, snow, and K-pop.
6. Describe a project that you would like to share with the ACM SIGGRAPH community.
It was a difficult time on every level during Covid. At UNSW, student partners and teachers collaborated on the Constellate 2022 Media Arts Showcase to ease the impact of Covid social isolation and boost a sense of belonging in the community. Student partners and teachers co-designed the festival theme and transformed the campus into exhibition spaces that consisted of memories, stories, and feelings. This project led to an annual UNSW computer graphics festival for community building. In 2023 a larger number of student partners and teachers collaborated on a bigger event Illuminate UNSW Art & Design Animation and Moving Image Festival where more than 100 student works were exhibited throughout the campus. As the projects’ collaborator myself, I witnessed remarkable kindness of all collaborators who dedicated time and effort into the project. The festival represents resilience, creativity, and passion of the community.
7. If you could have dinner with one living or non-living person, who would it be and why?
I wish I could have dinner with my grandmother who was one of the kindest and most resilient people I ever met. In the past, we used to sit next to an old charcoal stove to toast bread and play chess game during winter. I wish I had asked her more of her stories when I was a kid. She went through the second world war, the cultural revolution, and modern China. There were wolves next to her village when she grew up and she taught herself to read by reading stories to me. My grandmother used to cook for me in my childhood. This time, I would cook for my grandmother and a lot to talk about.
8. What is something most people don’t know about you?
I used to play electronic keyboard in my childhood. Once I was performing in front of thousands of people and I forgot how to play the music due to being nervous. To go with the flow, I made up my music on the stage and discovered the joy of playing spontaneous music by accident.
9. From which single individual have you learned the most in your life? What did they teach you?
I have learned so much from Derryn Heilbuth who is the Executive Chairman of BWD Strategic. Dee’s approaches to life and business taught me to be kind, courageous, and curious. There were many difficult situations where Dee saw problems as opportunities and turned many negative events into something positive. She sees everyone who works at BWD Strategic as a family and always puts family first. Dee encouraged me to teach while I was working at BWD Strategic and I hugely appreciate her encouragement. I have learned so much about having a purpose in what I do and guiding my actions with value in life by having a bigger picture of the world’s sustainability in mind. Dee is shaping the world with the power of communication and collaboration; she inspires my approaches in life and career enormously.
10. Is there someone in particular who has influenced your decision to work with ACM SIGGRAPH?
I decided to work with ACM SIGGRAPH after attended Glenn Goldman’s talk at 2023 SIGGRAPH Asia. Glenn’s passion, kindness, and generosity in building global education community inspired me to work with ACM SIGGRAPH to connect our local education community with the global education community and to make my contribution as an educator.
11. What can you point to in your career as your proudest moment?
In December 2023, I received UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture Dean’s Award for Outstanding Achievement as an Early Career Academic – Educator. It was a very emotional moment with a huge appreciation for the community I am in. Rather than being proud to myself, I felt so proud of this community with what we have achieved.