By: Bryan Smith
New York, NY – A significant exhibition titled “Fractured Horizons” has opened across both the NY and NJ venues of PI Art Center. The exhibition, a collaboration between VSDesign and PI Art Center, explores the interaction between civilizational remnants and emerging post-human landscapes, offering new perspectives on heritage and innovation.
Opened in May this year, this showcase features works by internationally recognized contemporary UX designer Yongkang Yu, alongside other artists such as Eric Meod, Alex Diamant, Bethany Altschwager, Elise Racine, Guangming Zheng, and Qin Zhao.
Yongkang Yu, an award-winning UX designer with a focus on smart mobility and intelligent system design, plays a central role in the exhibition, offering his perspective on the future of urban infrastructure and automation to global audiences.
The exhibition highlights one of Yu’s notable projects: “AutoValet”, an autonomous parking system that seeks to redefine the interaction between vehicles, people, and public space.
Designed to address some of the inefficiencies and challenges of traditional parking, AutoValet integrates C-V2X communication, roadside units (RSUs), and intelligent backend coordination to enable largely unmanned valet service. From real-time vehicle-to-infrastructure communication to automated slot allocation and app-based vehicle retrieval, Yu’s system aims to transform parking into a more efficient and intelligent process.
Unlike many conventional smart parking systems that require users to manually select a spot and park the vehicle themselves, AutoValet envisions a more autonomous experience — reducing the need for human valet services or user-operated parking. Instead, it advocates for a human-centered yet touchless mobility experience, encouraging urban environments to be potentially more efficient, inclusive, and technologically adaptable.
Yu’s work is recognized for its interdisciplinary approach, blending UX design, AI logistics, and physical computing. It challenges the traditional boundaries between product, service, and urban space — offering not just a solution, but a possible vision for future cities.
Yongkang Yu’s participation is particularly notable due to his academic and professional background. He is currently pursuing his studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where he focuses on advanced UX methodologies, intelligent systems, and behavioral design. He is also known for his contributions to interaction design education and the application of digital systems to urban challenges.
Throughout his career, Yu has received recognition in various global design competitions, including the MUSE Design Awards, London Design Awards, and the French Design Awards, acknowledging his work in intelligent interface innovation and system-level design thinking. His designs have been exhibited in the United Kingdom and are part of growing conversations in the fields of automated transportation, sustainable mobility, and ambient user experience design.
The New York Design Festival, founded in 2011, has become a significant event on the global design calendar. Drawing over 115,000 attendees annually and reaching millions of people through media platforms, the festival underscores New York City’s role in global design and innovation.
In this vibrant setting, Yongkang Yu’s contributions stand out. As the design world continues to explore issues of automation, interaction, and public space, his project AutoValet presents an intriguing perspective on how UX design can create a more harmonious relationship between humans and machines in future urban environments.
