Founder of Diffraction Theatre

Jing Wang Thomas is an award-winning artist, director and scenographer based in the UK. She was awarded an international scholarship from the Cambridge Trust in 2023 and continue her PhD research at St John's College, Cambridge. She was named St John's Scholar 2022, University of Cambridge as a distinction in the arts, creativity, and education in MPhil degree. She holds an MA in Scenography from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama of the University of London with a scholarship from Prof. Gavin Henderson (CBE). She is the founder of Diffraction Theatre, whihc seeks to test whether 'waves' of artistic practice and theatrical discourse resonate, interfere, and align with scientists’ understanding of philosophy.
 
In recent years her research has focused on how new materialism function epistemologically and the unique perspective of non-anthropocentrism in theatre-making. Her recent virtual reality project Life of Galileo (2022) was part of a digital research project at Cambridge University. Ballad of the Pipa (2021) is an intra-active VR piece exploring the relationship between the human being and digital scenography. Over the past 20 years, she has designed for many of the most prominent scenographies in China, the UK and Europe, including The Diaries of John Rabe (2019) at the Berlin State Opera and Vienna's Ronacher Theatre, Lao Can Impression (2019) at London's Southbank Centre, Memory (2019) at the Beijing Stage Design Invitation Exhibition, The Tenant (2017) at the National Portrait Gallery, 170 Days in Nanking (2017) at the Jiangsu Centre for Performing Arts, Hamlet (2016) at the National Centre for Performing Arts, Beijing, Normal Love (2014) at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (2014) at the 1st Toga Asian Theatre Director Festival in Japan. 170 Days in Nanking (2017) has been shortlisted for the International Opera Awards 2018 in the UK.

Please check for more information: www.wangjingstudio.com