The illustrator, whose real name is Tan Zi Xi, shares how her new tech companion, the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i laptop, is boosting her creativity
According to the United Nations, millions of tonnes of plastic waste enter the ocean every year from terrestrial and aquatic sources, creating vast floating patches of debris that harm marine life and pollute water. Singaporean artist Tan Zi Xi is determined to take action and raise awareness about environmental issues through humour and art.
Tan, whose artist moniker is Messymsxi, is known for experimenting with a variety of media. Her iconic Plastic Ocean installation, which consisted of more than 20,000 pieces of plastic waste suspended from a ceiling, was created from 500kg of discarded ocean plastic. This amounted to over 26,000 pieces that she collected, cleaned and organised. Tan’s work combines wry, playful humour with the stark realities of ocean pollution.
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The artist recently integrated a new tech companion into her creative process: Lenovo’s latest Yoga Book 9i. The first full-sized OLED dual-screen laptop, it has helped boost Tan’s creativity and improve her day-to-day workflow as an artist. “The laptop offers a range of exceptional features,” she says. “One of its standout qualities is its versatility as a convertible laptop. Dual OLED screens provide the user with a wider field of view. It can seamlessly transform from a traditional laptop to a tablet, providing the best of both worlds.”
Tan adds that the Yoga Book 9i eliminates the need for a third-party drawing tablet, as it comes with the Digital Pen 3. This stylus makes precise sketching and note-taking easy for artists and designers who want to unleash their creativity digitally.
“It is more intuitive to draw on a dual-screen device. I can look at the top screen while drawing on the bottom,” she says. “The OLED screen offers better and more accurate colours than the typical laptop or tablet.”
Besides being an artistic tool, the Yoga Book 9i is also convenient for presentations on the go and in situations where a projector isn’t available. Tan says her clients and students are able to view the presentation directly opposite her, while she is also able to make annotations and edits easily and immediately.
The laptop’s dual screens provide her with more space to open multiple windows as well, allowing her to multitask efficiently, such as doing research and taking notes at the same time. Its lightweight profile also makes the laptop ideal for when she is on the go.
And finally, the carbon-neutral design of the Yoga Book 9i aligns with Tan’s values as an advocate of climate action. The laptop’s top cover is entirely made from recycled aluminium and its packaging fully from recycled paper.
See more honourees from The Arts category of the Gen.T List.