Yan Da is a Beijing/New York based artist/designer in new media production, motion graphics, sound and photography. He is currently a creative director at CtystalCG(Beijing) and Frame Fifty Five(New York) creating new media solution for large scale performance and events. He formerly worked as designer/VFX artist at EyeballNYC, New York.

Yan has performed and lectured in concert halls and institutions across China and U.S., including Shanghai Grand Theatre, Henan art center, Tongji University, Fudan University, Brown University and Manhattan School of Music. He is among the first to have integrated reactive media in classical music recital in China.

Yan hold an Honorary MFA in Digital + Media at Rhode Island School of Design and studied in Multimedia & Electronic Music Experiments program at Brown University. Yan got (MA) architecture and (BA) visual communication at Tongji University(China). Yan was also a full time lecturer in Digital Media division at Tongji University. Meanwhile, he was a freelance designer for Shanghai Media Group, British Council China and Motion Magic Studio.

From his early age, he was self-taught in musicology and piano. Later, inspired by Herbert von Karajan's visual virtuosity in conducting music, he developed a gestural methodology that he termed as "post-conducting" in many of his works, which appear as an intricate "map" of human gestures and music. He frequently projects these works into the context of nature, urban space and network. His MFA thesis on gestural visual music was published by VDM and available globally on Amazon. His art works have been exhibited internationally at Shanghai Biennial Academic (China), Shanghai EXPO 2010 UN Pavilion, Gasteig Cultural Center (Germany) and RISD Museum (USA). His photography are published in printed and online media globally, including AIA (The American Institute of Architects), Boston Magazine, Modern Design Magazine(Spain), University of Pennsylvania Press and Shanghai Translation Publishing House. Besides, Yan also compose experimental music diligently and co-host one of the largest Chinese contemporary music forum.