Thesis 2026/ Shuyi Wu

This thesis project centers on the development of an original illustrated narrative titled The Moon Between Us, developed from my ongoing sketchbook character, Crybaby Shushu, a crying baby mouse. The work is presented through a picture book dummy, final illustrations, a poster, and an immersive installation. The narrative grows out of a personal relationship between myself and a close friend, with the characters Shushu and Didi reflecting us. It explores a shifting intimacy between closeness and distance, presence and absence. Rather than resolving into a clear ending, the story remains in a space where connection continues even as paths diverge. It is like existing under the same moon, but not in the same place.

My process is rooted in iterative, drawing-based exploration. I continuously return to my sketchbook, drawing gestures, movements, and interactions. Through repetition and adjustment, the characters gradually take on a life of their own, and the narrative begins to form. Story ideas and storyboards develop alongside these drawings, allowing the visual process to guide the story. I work primarily with watercolor and colored pencil, drawn to their softness and slowness. I begin with light graphite structures, followed by layered watercolor washes and detailed colored pencil rendering. This creates a balance between control and unpredictability.

The work extends into an installation space, forming an intimate environment between a café and a dollhouse. Within it, the poster functions as a dollhouse-like structure containing fragments of the story, small suspended moments that echo the emotional rhythm of the book. The separation between the characters is not caused by conflict, but unfolds from who they are. To change for each other would mean losing themselves. Didi moves outward, following the wind, open and restless, while Shushu remains in her small, certain world, dwelling in quiet moments of happiness. They grow in different directions, yet neither loses who they are. They still carry each other within them, yet for many reasons, the future of their relationship remains unclear.

Text plays an important role in this project, not simply accompanying the images but forming another layer of the narrative. Through revision and reconsideration, I arrived at a conclusion that is not fully resolved, but emotionally honest, allowing distance while still holding connection. Formally, this project shifts from my earlier Rococo-inspired aesthetics toward a more narrative-focused direction. Delicacy and ornament remain, but now act as a language for vulnerability and quiet tension. Soft color palettes, intimate interiors, and domestic details create a sense of closeness, while the installation allows multiple emotional moments to exist together.

The intended audience includes viewers drawn to gentle, emotionally nuanced storytelling. Situated within contemporary picture book practice, the work treats illustration as a poetic and open-ended form. By combining book and installation, the project invites viewers to read and move through the narrative space. In the end, this thesis represents both a continuation and a deepening of my practice, bringing together narrative, material, and space. In the most tender part of the inner world, misunderstandings dissolve, and even when we are no longer in the same place, there is no longer fear or the feeling of being lost. Like existing under the same moon, there are things that have never truly left.

Website: https://www.shushuart.world

Instagram: crybaby.shushu