Lillian Ngo Usadi, ltjg
Lillian Ngo Usadi graduated and commissioned from the United States Naval Academy with a BSc in electrical engineering. Awarded the Rhodes scholarship, she then joined the Physical Acoustics Lab reading for an MSc in Engineering Science (by research) under the direction of Professor Ronald Roy and Professor James Kwan at the University of Oxford. Lillian is currently researching acoustics, the study of sound, and acoustic cavitation, bubble formation in the presence of a sound field. Additionally, Lillian is working with Sir Jonathan Mills on 3-D printing ancient musical instruments in order to create an intercultural orchestra as a part of the TORCH project sponsored by the University of Oxford. Following her time at Oxford, Lillian will go on to the United States Navy as a submarine officer. Her long-term career goals include the pursuit of the advancement and exploration of music, science, and technology through her work in the submarine community and beyond.an Ngo Usadi (LTJG) graduated and commissioned from the United States Naval Academy with a BSc in electrical engineering. Awarded the Rhodes scholarship, she then joined the Physical Acoustics Lab reading for an MSc in Engineering Science. Following her time at Oxford, Lillian will go on to the United States Navy as a submarine officer.
Entangled Threads: Iridescent Fusions
This piece is a luminescent fusion of Lillian’s multitude of identities and experiences as a scholar and individual. It combines her current research on bubbles at the Physical Acoustics Lab at Oxford with her experience on the water as a US naval officer, and her background growing up in Basking Ridge, New Jersey in a mixed family of artists, musicians, writers, and scientists.
Nicola Green was inspired by close up images of the surface of bubbles, using a traditional marbling technique to capture the intricate swirling patterns and iridescent colours. Beyond the aesthetic resemblances, this technique has a rich history in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For Nicola, this fabric epitomises our common heritage and the process of cultural diffusion and exchange throughout human history. Whilst this textile embodies that which we have in common, the precarious marbling technique means that each print is entirely unique.
Tapestry: Tree of life
For this artwork Nicola wanted to explore the interplay between heritage and memory. Inspired by Lillian’s love of violin and French impressionist composers, this artwork combines a Monet-style aesthetic with a photograph of the famous Old Oak Tree from her hometown, which was cut down in 2017. Nicola also wanted to reference the Tree of Life, a sacred symbol found in cultures around the world.
The blurred hazy quality is designed to reflect Lillian’s mixed cultural background, representing her Vietnamese and Jewish heritage and the blending of communities throughout her life and into her time at Oxford with the Rhodes Trust.