JI YOUNG LEE

ABOUT JI YOUNG LEE (JI)

 

SCENIC DESIGNER / ART DIRECTOR

 

I often describe my life as “one road.” I've been dreaming of designing sets since I was 10 years old and never stopped. 

 

I graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a BFA in Interior Architecture and UCLA with MFA in Scenic design. I did an internship at George Tsypin Opera Factory in Long Island city, NY and Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, CA. I'm a current member of the Art Directors Guild.

 

When I was ten, my mother took me to the musical Alibaba and the Forty Thieves in Korea. I was fascinated not only by the magical set that featured a flying carpet, moving cave, exotic Arabic costumes and music, but also by the dynamic reactions the audience displayed. It felt like being in a different world. That was the day I started to dream of becoming a scenic designer. I was amazed by how set design created an environment where people could escape from their ordinary lives and experience a fantasy world, and I knew I wanted to help create that fantasy. I'm very interested in Interactive Theater and Production design in film. I dream of using diverse inspirations and collaborations to create sets where audiences and artists alike can explore, and I will ceaselessly strive to make my dream come true.