Decoding Generative Unravelling: Concepts and Process
Video Description
• This video is divided into two parts, providing deeper insight into the key concepts and themes of my series, Generative Unravelling (《生成解构》), featuring the artworks ∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes (《∞：千针千界》) and Hand in Thought—Unravelling the Intangible (《手中思绪——解构无形》). By integrating textile traditions with contemporary artistic interpretation, this video offers a more comprehensive understanding of the conceptual framework behind my work.
• The first part interweaves video excerpts from both artworks with an analysis of their visual language, connecting them to my research on Miao (苗族) Piling (堆) embroidery. This section unpacks the core artistic concepts, enhancing the audience’s understanding of the works.
• The second part delves deeper into the creative process, illustrating how my research framework informs the development of my works. It explores the conceptual and methodological connections between my PhD research and artistic practice, highlighting how personal experiences shape my approach to intangible cultural heritage, textile thinking, and generative art.
Music Licensing
• Deep Space Probe Drone by TunePocket Sounds (License ID: 99D7F3E74AC5BF03E6AA9AD6073C894F)
• Ancient Earth Song (30 Sec) by Panda Music (BMI) (License ID: 5048686CE802ADC7A32EE45BC57D2B72)
• Galaxy Vision by Joel Loopez (License ID: 419755EAC5185FD89EDE8F9002D05AC7)
Additional Artwork Information
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes (《∞：千针千界》)
Exhibition Details
• Exhibition: Ubiquitous Technology: The Science of Aesthetics (《无处不在的科技：美学的科学》)
• Venue: 20 King Street, St. James’s, London
• Dates: 9 October – 18 November 2024
• Full Video: https://milin.myportfolio.com/milin
Hand in Thought—Unravelling the Intangible (《手中思绪——解构无形》)
Exhibition Details
• Exhibition: Royal College of Art Biennale 2025
• Venue: Royal College of Art, London
• Date: 21–27 February 2025
Hand in Thought—Unravelling the Intangible (《手中思绪——解构无形》
Video Description
• This video presents Hand in Thought—Unravelling the Intangible (《手中思绪——解构无形》), an interactive installation from the series Generative Unravelling (《生成解构》). This work explores the interplay between gesture, cognition, and digital transformation, translating embodied interaction into evolving generative imagery.
The video is structured into three key sections:
• Generative Imagery in Motion with Human Interaction – Showcasing the installation’s dynamic visual generation, responding to movement and presence.
• Live Interaction: Engaging with the Installation – Demonstrating audience interaction, revealing how gestures influence form and motion.
• Gesture-Led Interaction: Exploring Embodied Control – Highlighting how different hand movements shape the evolving visuals, echoing the coordination of hand, eye, and mind in embroidery.
Artwork Description: Embodied Digital Weaving
• This work integrates generative visuals, motion tracking, and projection mapping to externalise intangible aspects of embroidery—its rhythm, thought process, and meditative flow. By allowing audiences to interact through gestures, the installation reimagines the craftsmanship of Miao (苗族) Piling (堆) embroidery within a computational system, bridging tradition and contemporary digital media.
Exhibition Details
• Exhibition: Royal College of Art Biennale 2025
• Venue: Royal College of Art, London
• Date: 21–27 February 2025
Music Licensing
• Deep Space Probe Drone by TunePocket Sounds (License ID: 99D7F3E74AC5BF03E6AA9AD6073C894F)
Key Concepts, CV, and Exhibitions with Press Features
Document Description
• This document presents the Artwork Key Concepts, CV, and Showcased Exhibitions & Press Features related to my series Generative Unravelling (《生成解构》), featuring ∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes (《∞：千针千界》) and Hand in Thought—Unravelling the Intangible (《手中思绪——解构无形》). It outlines the central themes of the series, my professional background, and its public recognition through exhibitions and media coverage.
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes (《∞：千针千界》)
Exhibition: Ubiquitous Technology: The Science of Aesthetics (《无处不在的科技：美学的科学》)
The artwork in its exhibited form, displaying its immersive projection and layered composition inspired by Miao Piling Embroidery.
Audience Interaction with Hand in Thought—Unravelling the Intangible (《手中思绪——解构无形》)
Exhibition: Royal College of Art Biennale 2025
An exhibition visitor engaging with the interactive installation through gesture-driven interaction, shaping the generative visuals in real time.
Exhibition Setup of Hand in Thought—Unravelling the Intangible (《手中思绪——解构无形》)
Exhibition: Royal College of Art Biennale 2025
A view of the installation’s spatial arrangement, showcasing the integration of motion-tracking technology and generative projection.
Projected Generative Image of Hand in Thought—Unravelling the Intangible (《手中思绪——解构无形》)
Exhibition: Royal College of Art Biennale 2025
A still of the generative imagery projected within the installation, responding dynamically to audience interaction.
The Frame of Generative Unravelling (《生成解构》)
Exhibition: Ubiquitous Technology: The Science of Aesthetics (《无处不在的科技：美学的科学》)
A close-up of the bespoke stretched frame featuring digitally printed leather, forming the physical foundation of the installation.
Generative Unravelling (《生成解构》) is a series of installations merging textile thinking, generative art, and digital interaction to reinterpret Miao (苗族) Piling (堆) embroidery. It transforms intangible cultural heritage (ICH) into an evolving, participatory experience where audience engagement becomes a bridge between tradition and digital transformation.
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes (《∞：千针千界》)
This audio-visual installation reconstructs Piling embroidery’s layered triangular motifs, forming a kaleidoscopic relief that blurs the boundaries between materiality and virtuality. It explores algorithmic entropy, where artisans refine their craft to mastery (increase) and distil it into simplicity (decrease), reflecting Miao cosmology. The looping video serves as a metaphor for the continuous transmission of ICH, honouring the artisans—primarily women—who have preserved this tradition.
• Full Video: https://milin.myportfolio.com/milin
Hand in Thought—Unravelling the Intangible (《手中思绪——解构无形》)
This interactive installation expands on embodied cognition and material engagement through motion-tracking technology. Audiences engage with the work using embroidery-inspired gestures—palm presence, grasping, swaying, pinching, and stitching—mirroring the hand-eye-mind coordination inherent in textile craftsmanship. These movements dynamically shape generative imagery, visualising embroidery’s cognitive and meditative aspects as a process of continual transformation.
Reimagining Heritage Through Generative Systems
Moving beyond static preservation, Generative Unravelling (《生成解构》) fosters embodied engagement and fluid imagination, where traditional craftsmanship converges with generative systems. By immersing audiences in evolving generative processes, my work transforms ICH into a living, evolving dialogue between tradition and digital expression, positioning it within contemporary discourse while preserving its deep cultural roots.
How can we bring textile ICH to life beyond glass cases? In the digital era, Miao (苗) embroidery—an intangible cultural heritage (ICH)—faces engagement challenges. Traditional exhibitions prioritise documenting materiality, symbolism, and artisanship yet often lack engaging approaches that foster public interpretation. My research and artistic practice respond by integrating immersive curation methodologies and digital transformation, strengthening cultural connections through imagination and curiosity.
While ICH documentation is essential, expanding research on public engagement and interpretation could help prevent stagnation in cultural transmission. As technology increasingly shapes how we experience the world, integrating digital tools in exhibitions enhances engagement, allowing audiences to connect with heritage in immersive environments. My work reimagines Miao embroidery’s intangible aspects—such as artisans’ flow states and symbolic expressions—through contemporary artistic experiences.
As part of my doctoral research, I develop immersive curation methodologies incorporating Cultural User Experience (CUX), digital ICH, and textile thinking. Rather than treating ICH as a static artefact, I employ AI-generated visuals, generative algorithms, and spatial compositions to create multi-sensory installations that engage audiences beyond passive observation. The work functions as both a standalone contemporary art piece and a curatorial module, exhibited alongside traditional Miao embroidery.
Beyond aesthetics, my research bridges Eastern and Western perspectives by integrating textile thinking, contemporary art methodologies, and ethnic minority cultural studies. It challenges Orientalist narratives, fostering cultural exchange and a more reciprocal understanding of heritage. By leveraging technology to enhance engagement, my work contributes to cultural transmission and interdisciplinary dialogue.
More Information:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milin
I am a PhD student at the School of Design, Royal College of Art, and the Business Development Director of the UK Tsinghua Association. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design from Tsinghua University, Beijing, where I graduated first in my class, receiving the Excellent Graduation Design Award and the Excellent Graduation Thesis Award. I later earned a Master’s in Arts and Cultural Management from Pratt Institute, New York, where I was recognised as “Most Likely to Become a Rock Star”. My professional journey spans entrepreneurship, business development, curation, art practice, design, research, and marketing, with a focus on traditional and digital art, textile and fashion design, and cross-cultural industries. I have worked with leading companies such as Beijing Poly Art Company Limited and Jason Wu LLC. Moreover, I founded Butterfly Effect, a project dedicated to promoting Miao textile ICH in New York. I also run Misha Lin Studio, my personal creative studio.
