Nix Liu Xin

Nix Liu Xin

Nix Liu Xin — Chinese-born US-based tech innovator and digital artist — works with emerging mediums and technologies such as motion visual arts, architecture, extended reality, 3d scanning, robotics, and artificial intelligence for the world's top brands and organizations. His creativity centers around the iconic "phygital" realities merging fluid forms, movements, visual effects, colors, and sounds at the intersection of real and virtual worlds.

Since 2024 he has been building spatial AI ventures — internal R&D first, then a run of collaborations — which in 2026 became 01.SPACE, where he is Founder and CEO. It lets creators build interactive 3D with AI, right in the browser: creative capabilities become blocks — assets, effects, behaviors, controls — and an agent assembles them into a workflow the creator can see, change, and reuse. Backed by MiraclePlus (formerly known as Y Combinator China).

As the founder and creative director of Play.Work, a media art and tech company, Nix has collaborated with Mercedes-Benz, Burberry, Bosie, Chris Lee (Li Yuchun), London Fashion Week, Microsoft, Miss Grit, NYLON, Polestar Cars, SCI-Arc Robot Lab, Victor Ma (Ma Boqian), Wallpaper, WhatWorld Club, etc., to create bespoke films and music videos fusing CGI virtual and live-action real worlds.

Nix holds a Master in Design Studies (Media/Technology) from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he won the Domain Award; cross-registered at MIT Media Lab and Sloan School of Management. He also holds an M.Arch 2 degree from SCI-Arc; and B.A. with Honors degree from the University of Liverpool where his graduation project won Sheppard Robson Jicwood Prize.

Nix was endowed with numerous awards. To name a few: he won the first prize of the prestigious CGarchitect 3D Awards 2020 and was nominated in 2019; he was selected as one of 12 artists to hold solo exhibitions at Lianzhou Foto Festival in 2019. Recently, Nix founded and organized the international New Digital Design Forum, and invited world-renowned artists, designers, and professors to bridge the communication of Post-Digital culture between west and east. Nix has been invited to give guest lectures and speakings at UCL Bartlett School of Architecture, Tongji University, Gensler SF, etc. Additionally, his works have been exhibited at World Trade Center in New York City, Los Angeles, Liverpool, Beijing, Suzhou, Shanghai, and so on.

Connect

01Experience

  • 01.SPACEFounder and CEO
    2026–Present
  • Creative.TechEditor-in-Chief
    2025–Present
  • HarvardXRCo-Founder, Cambridge, MA, United States
    2022–Present
  • New Digital Design ForumCo-Organizer
    2021
  • Play.WorkFounder and Creative Director, Los Angeles, United States
    2020–Present
  • Testa & Weiser Inc.Creative Technologist, Los Angeles, United States
    2019
  • Sheppard RobsonDesigner, Manchester, United Kingdom
    2017–18

02Education

  • Harvard UniversityMDes, AI, HCI, Media, Cambridge, United States
  • Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCross-Registration, Media Lab, Cambridge, United States
  • SCI-ArcComputational Design and Theory, Los Angeles, United States
  • University of LiverpoolBA, BE, Architecture, Liverpool, United Kingdom
  • New York Film AcademyFilmmaking, New York City, United States

03Academic

  • AA Summer School — Guest CriticBody as Interface, Shanghai, China
    2026
  • Harvard Innovation Labs — XR & Metaverse Community FellowCambridge, MA, United States
    2023
  • Harvard University Graduate School of Design — Teaching AssistantCambridge, MA, United States
    2021–22
  • The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL — Guest LecturerLondon, United Kingdom
    2021
  • The University of Hong Kong, Department of Architecture — Guest Critic
    2020
  • Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) — Teaching AssistantLos Angeles, United States
    2019–20

04Judging

  • MIT AI for Filmmaking Hackathon 2025 — Judge
    2025
  • MIT AI for Filmmaking Hackathon 2024 — XR Film Panel Organizer and Moderator, JudgeCambridge, United States
    2024
  • An Instant Film Festival — Jury Member
    2024
  • Fiction Beyond Nonfiction International Juried Exhibition — JudgeLi Tang Gallery
    2022
  • LOOP Creative Awards — Judge
    2022
  • CGarchitect 3D Awards — Judge
    2021

05Recognition

  • Design Studies Domain Award — Harvard University
    2023
  • AACYF 30 Under 30
    2023
  • Winner of Best Film, Best Visual, Best Music, Best Script, and Best AI Application — MIT AI Filmmaking HackathonDOG: Dream Of Galaxy
    2023
  • Semi-Finalist — MIT Reality HackBeat Blocks
    2023
  • Winner — Independent Shorts AwardsPhygital Supermarket
    2022
  • Official Selection — Digerati Emergent Media FestivalPhygital Supermarket
    2022
  • Official Selection — Digerati Emergent Media FestivalThe Epilogue of a Computer
    2022
  • Official Selection (Innovation) — LA Fashion FestivalThe Era of bosie, Art Director
    2021
  • Winner — CGarchitect 3D AwardsPhygital Shopping Cart
    2020
  • Official Selection, one of 12 artists — Lianzhou Foto FestivalLiverpool Waterfront Moments
    2019
  • Nominee — CGarchitect 3D AwardsAugmented Library Aggregation
    2019
  • Ten Selected Awards — Hsinta Ecological Power Plant Conceptual Design Competition
    2018
  • Winner — Sheppard Robson Jicwood Prize#IMadeLiverpool
    2017

06Exhibitions & Curatorial

  • Language of Visibility — Exhibiting ArtistLi Tang Community x THE BLANC
    2025
  • Technora Audio Visual Festival — Live VisualsTechnora
    2025
  • Evolving Space Vol. 05 — Exhibiting ArtistK11 Select Tianjin, presented by Youth Digital Group, Tianjin, China
    2024
  • Carton-Computility-Vagabond: Revolution in the Mode of Artistic ProductionJiade Artistic Center, Beijing, China
    2023
  • Echoes of Home: A Retrospective Exhibition of the Li Tang Community — Exhibiting ArtistRIVAA Gallery, presented by Li Tang, Roosevelt Island, New York City, United States
    2023
  • Screening at Meow Wolf Denver — ScreeningMeow Wolf Denver, Denver, United States
    2023
  • OfCourse MetaMetaOfCourse, Cryptovoxels (online)
    2022
  • Chair-themed Group Exhibition — Exhibiting Artistmizaji gallery
    2022
  • CC is Dreaming NFTArt Basel Miami Beach, Miami, FL, United States
    2021
  • Metaverse Architecture - The Unbuilt WorldBeijing Urban and Architecture Biennale, Phoenix Centre, Beijing, China
    2021
  • ParadoxicalQ Club at K11, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
    2021
  • NFT Art Week Beijing — Exhibiting ArtistNFT Art Week Beijing, NEAL Gallery
    2021
  • Creative Code Art FestivalLightbox NYC, New York City, United States
    2020
  • Infinity Festival Hollywood — Student Exhibitor, Panel DiscussionLos Angeles, United States
    2019
  • Lianzhou Foto Festival 2019 — SoloLianzhou, China
    2019–20
  • SCI-Arc Spring Show 2020 & 2019Southern California Institute of Architecture, Los Angeles, United States
    2019–20
  • Here ThereThe Oculus at The World Trade Center, New York City, United States
    2019
  • Unknown Future: LSA Degree Show 2017Liverpool School of Architecture, Liverpool, United Kingdom
    2017
  • bluecoat + architecture: process and productBluecoat Gallery, Liverpool, United Kingdom
    2017
  • FusionAintree University Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom
    2016
  • Barcelona-Beijing: Hyperconnected CitiesInstituto Cervantes, Beijing, China
    2016

07Speaking Engagements

  • University of Nottingham Ningbo China — SpeakerNingbo, China
    2025
  • Harvard China Forum — SpeakerHow Holographic 4D and AI Reshape Art Creation, Cultural Heritage and Audience Experience, Cambridge, United States
    2025
  • Harvard HCAC — Speaker4D + AI: How Volumetric Media Reshapes Immersive and Interactive Entertainment
    2025
  • XJTLU — SpeakerXrchitect — Think and Act Out of Box, Suzhou, China
    2024
  • An Instant Film Festival — SpeakerReshaping Reality, Beijing, China
    2024
  • AI & Design Panel — PanelistParsons School of Design, New York City, United States
    2024
  • Oxford AI Cross-Disciplinary Summit — SpeakerOxford University Chinese Students and Scholars Association, Oxford, United Kingdom
    2024
  • Beijing Normal University, School of Design for Future — Guest LecturerDigital Realities Factory
    2024
  • China Academy of Art — SpeakerPhygital Realities All At Once
    2023
  • Stanford University — SpeakerWhen Science Fiction Meets Reality: AI, Digital Art and Interactive New Media
    2023
  • Central Academy of Fine Arts — Guest LecturerDesign for Playful Realities
    2023
  • XJTLU / QROOM — Guest LecturerFuture Realities: Creativity x Technology
    2023
  • Ivy League Alumni Cruise — SpeakerNew York City, United States
    2023
  • Harvard Ventures Roundtable — PanelistVirtual Reality
    2022
  • Power Station of Art (PSA) — PanelistShanghai, China
    2022
  • BerkleeDNA — SpeakerBerklee College of Music, Boston, MA, United States
    2022
  • Gensler — Speaker"Playful" Practice, San Francisco, CA, United States
    2021
  • DigitalFUTURES Talk — SpeakerNew Hybridities: Young Chinese Designers, Online
    2021
  • OfCourse — Guest Lecturer
    2021
  • The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL — Guest LecturerPhygitalism, London, England, United Kingdom
    2021
  • Weiser Vertical Studio — Guest LecturerSCI-Arc
    2021
  • Testa Vertical Studio — Guest LecturerSCI-Arc
    2020
  • Cutting-Edge Work From Universities — PanelistInfinity Festival Hollywood, Los Angeles, United States
    2019

08Publications & Interviews

09Languages

  • Mandarin Chinese
    native
  • English
    fluent
  • Jin Chinese
    native

10The Stack & Skills

01

Creative Direction, Project Management, Computational Design

02

Procedural 3D Modeling, Animation & Rendering

RhinocerosGrasshopperZBrushCinema 4DHoudiniRedshiftOctane

03

Interactive Design & Code

Unreal EngineTouchDesignerUnityProcessing

04

Filmmaking, Compositing and Editing

After EffectsPremiere ProDaVinci ResolveBlackmagic Cinema CamerasSony Alpha Series Cameras

05

Digital Publishing

IllustratorIndesignPhotoshopLightroom

Clients & Collaborators

Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/ArchitectureBosieBurberryChris LeeDodgeMercedes-BenzMiss GritMithridate / London Fashion WeekNOWNESSNYLONPolestar CarsRe-TROSSCI-Arc Robot LabTesta & WeiserVictor MaWallpaper MagazineWhatWorld Club