Chronos in Chlorine

Designer Lanyi Liu’s fashion project Time in Chlorine uses a swimming pool as a metaphor to explore how Generation Z’s childhood memories are both preserved and distorted by digital technology. Drawing from the surreal “Dreamcore” aesthetic, Liu transforms internet-era symbols—pixelated patterns, glowing pop-ups, and fragmented toy silhouettes—into wearable art. Translucent plastic fabrics mimic the reflective surface of chlorinated water, while 3D-printed accessories freeze childhood objects into artificial relics, resembling fossils carved from data.

Photographer Chang Niu reconstructs ordinary poolscapes into AI-generated dream worlds: walls dissolve into digital grids, diving boards twist into fractured timelines, and chlorine fumes morph into floating QR codes. By training AI algorithms on vintage cartoon clips and retro computer interfaces, the generated backgrounds mirror Liu’s designs—both act as distorted mirrors of memory reshaped by technology. Shadows are replaced with TV static, water ripples pixelate into halftone dots, and light refracts through a lens of binary code, creating a hybrid space where physical and digital realities overlap. This AI-driven “mistranslation” echoes Gen Z’s subconscious editing of memories to fit algorithmic narratives.

The series poses a visceral question: Just as chlorine sanitizes pools by destroying organic matter, does technology “disinfect” nostalgia until it loses its authenticity? Through Liu’s sculptural silhouettes and Chang Niu’s AI-altered visuals, Time in Chlorine becomes a ritual of metamorphosis—not about purity or decay, but about how our bodies and memories are perpetually rewritten in the digital age.

PHOTOGRAPHY CHANG NIU CICI
FASHION DESIGN & STYLING LANYI LIU
MODEL SHUNYA WANG
MAKE-UP WEIJIA SUI