Inspired by Song Dynasty painter Xia Gui’s Twelve Views from a Thatched Hut and Monet’s multitude of paintings of his garden at Giverny, Tina Xu ’17 set out as a first-year to capture 10,000 views...
Inspired by Song Dynasty painter Xia Gui’s Twelve Views from a Thatched Hut and Monet’s multitude of paintings of his garden at Giverny, Tina Xu ’17 set out as a first-year to capture 10,000 views of Lake Waban. A self-professed “serial Instagrammer” (@zootea), she has posted photographs several times a day from all over campus, creating what she calls a “visual diary of the colors and patterns that make up my life.” Her luminous views of the lake (#tenthousandviews-ofwaban) record scenes through the seasons, populated by her fellow students, waterfowl, sailboats, and more.
A political science major, Xu has also worked in film. She received the Pamela Daniels ’59 Fellowship to support the production of a film about an Afghan refugee, an unaccompanied minor who traveled across Europe to seek asylum in England. After completing filming in Europe this summer, she hopes to screen the finished product at Wellesley in the next academic year.
In April, another of Xu’s films, Wushu, was featured on the Next Producer series, a competition for New England college students that aired on the New England Sports Network. Xu took the top prize—$20,000 and an opportunity to work at the network.