Aaron
Z Wang

I build systems that people operate themselves, such as installations, real-time simulations and AI agents.

Human-AI interaction Embodiment Simulation

Press and drag. A Verlet lattice, warped by masses you cannot see.

Research

I am a media artist and researcher in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Human-AI Interaction (HAI). I make gallery installations, games, and AI characters built from archives.

Human-AI interaction
AI characters that speak only from historical records, built at USC's Mobile and Environmental Media Lab.
Embodiment
Installations and games where the way you move is part of the meaning.
Simulation
Real-time systems for things that are hard to see directly, from soft-body physics to dark matter.

Research page →

Practice

Where my work comes from, and my art practice.

On the practice page, pick three words and see which works they lead to.

Practice page →

Selected work

The original Sensorama cabinet lit for documentation on a soundstageMEML, USC SCA
Immersive Archive The knowledge base and the evaluation behind Mort, an agent that answers as Morton Heilig from his own papers. Research Assistant, with Prof. Scott Fisher.
A visitor at Arebyte Gallery playing EmotionArebyte Gallery, London
Body, Mind and Soul Installations that turn inner states into something the viewer controls. Emotion and Quattuor Scapes were shown at Arebyte Gallery, London.
The Journey of Light title screen on the VizLab display wall
Dark Matter Interactive Experience A real-time experience for Carnegie Science Observatories in which a visitor switches dark matter on and off. Annenberg Fellow on LARC.

All projects →

Industry experience

I worked as a product management intern at Supercell on the localized version of Clash Royale, and before that as a technical game designer intern at Tencent Games, writing shaders and gameplay modules in their engine. At USC, I was the lead producer on Balloon, a student production with a team of 26. Details are on the CV.