Lead Artist: Emerald Lay
Mentor: Natalie Marinho
Project: Miii (မီး)*

When negotiating your identity between cultures, perceptions shift based on how people believe you should be presenting yourself. What does it mean to remain whole in contradiction?  

This interactive installation is grounded in the weight of this question, which unfolds through light, technology, mythology, and tradition. Scenes on a glass vessel showcase the artist’s experience as an Australian shaped by Burmese heritage and diaspora. It is an allegorical memory box questioning what it means to be Australian, what it means to be Burmese, what it means to institutionally assimilate, and the experience of being othered, even within minority contexts, through digital-age representation. 

Through interaction with the vessel’s four faces, each bearing a different scene, viewers activate transformations in the projected Pyinsarupa, represented as a Yoke Thé puppet. Traditionally representing the convergence of powerful beings from land, water, and sky, this chimera embodies the coexistence of distinct forces within a single form. Miii (မီး) reimagines the creature as a metaphor for navigating multiple cultural worlds, using digital interaction to explore themes of identity, belonging, and transformation.

In essence, the work extends a process of self-inquiry through continual renewal and reinterpretation of lived experience, inviting you into the rediscovery of cultural identity within the shifting complexities of relationships, language, nationality, and the digital landscape. As Nandalal Bose suggests, “Tradition is the outer shell of the seed that holds the embryo of new growth.”

*Miii (မီး) rendered in traditional script, is a Burmese term used to means any artificial or human made light.

Emerald Lay is a multidisciplinary artist of Burmese heritage based in Perth/Boorloo, working across visual art and immersive media. Her practice explores diasporic identity, cultural memory and the tension between tradition and modernisation. Lay works across porcelain painting, oil painting and drawing, alongside interactive technologies, to create layered, experiential works that bridge the digital and physical. With a background in UX/UI design, her work is driven by an interest in how interaction and storytelling can foster empathy, inviting audiences to engage more deeply with perspectives beyond their own. Lay is particularly interested in creating intimate, multisensory experiences that explore the space between what is seen, felt and remembered

Natalie Marinho is an award-winning narrative designer, producer and artist with over fifteen years’ experience in digital media and six years specialising in augmented reality. Passionate about XR and the intersection of people, design and technology, Natalie’s background spans immersive experiences, video games, gamification, telecommunications and international development. As founder and creative director of Voyant Augmented Reality, Natalie designs bespoke mixed reality experiences for creative industries. She chairs Immerse Australia and has served on industry bodies including Screenwest’s Advisory Committee and WA Games Week. Her XR artworks have been exhibited in BLEED, 10 Nights in Port and Fremantle Design Week. She holds a Master in International Relations and Psychology. 

Heidi Choo is a multi-disciplinary 3D artist specialising in building immersive worlds. With a passion for transforming ideas into compelling visual narratives, her expertise lies in 3D modelling, game level design and 3D animation, using industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Substance 3D Painter, and Unreal Engine. She is adept at producing realistic and stylised designs, adapting according to the needs of a project. Heidi thrives in environments where creativity and technical expertise intersect. She values hard work, reliability and continuous growth, and is constantly exploring new tools, techniques, and creative approaches to expand her capabilities.

Haine Win Lay is an electrical/electronics engineer in the making who was born and raised in Perth/Boorloo, Australia and is of Burmese descent. His interests span across multimedia expression, art, and engineering. His multidimensionality is inspired by his experiences growing up in suburban Perth and the myths and stories that have encouraged him to dream big and work hard to build his personhood while supporting these aspirations. Haine integrates applied knowledge of embedded systems and control systems to construct technological backbones for his artistic pursuits. He is invested in exploring the relationship between electronics and user interaction, and within this, placing an emphasis on the human texture.

Images: Emerald Lay, Miii (မီး), 2026, boorda yeyi Intensive Mentorship Open Studio, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. Photos: Olivia Pizzale-Bryce.