Mi Lin
Embodied Digitranscend: Reimagining Postdigital Engagement with the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Miao Piling Embroidery
Lin's PhD research reimagines engagement with Miao embroidery, an Intangible Cultural Heritage from Southwest China, by developing an ontology-led, embodied, and postdigital framework for cultural transmission. It addresses the limitations of static museum displays and ethnographic documentation through a Cultural User Experience (CUX) framework that connects embodiment theory, textile thinking, and Miao textile ICH.
Methodologically, the study is grounded in embodiment theory and adopts a practice-led, four-cycle iterative process in which theory and practice continuously inform one another to generate and refine the framework. Using Miao Piling embroidery as the central case study, it combines fieldwork with Miao artisans, studio-based experimentation, and exhibition-led interaction to explore how embodied cultural data can be translated into multisensory experiences.
The Generative Unravelling series—an ongoing body of practice-based research—currently comprises two fully developed, exhibitable installations: ∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes and Hand in Thought — Unravelling the Intangible. These works employ projection mapping, generative visual systems in TouchDesigner, Leap Motion gesture tracking, and AI-assisted image generation to create embodied, responsive environments.
Exhibited at events from the IEEE ICME AIART Gallery in France to London Craft Week, the project has been featured in global media, shortlisted for the V&A × Design Society Design Values Award, and highlighted in Doctoral Spotlight: Celebrating Research Programmes at the RCA.
Further information about the Generative Unravelling series can be found on my project page: https://milin.myportfolio.com/generative-unravelling-series
Key details
Area of expertise
Supervisors
Gallery
More about Mi
Biography
Mi (Misha) Lin is a London-based PhD student and cross-disciplinary artist at the School of Design, Royal College of Art.
She holds a BA in Fashion Design from Tsinghua University, where she received both the Excellent Graduation Design Award and the Excellent Graduation Thesis Award, and an MPS in Arts and Cultural Management from Pratt Institute, where she was voted “Most Likely to Become a Rock Star.”
Her professional experience spans project curation, artistic research, fashion design, and cross-cultural industries. She has worked at leading organisations such as Beijing Poly Art Company Limited and Jason Wu LLC, gaining invaluable experience across China, the US, and the UK. She also serves as the Business Development Director of the UK Tsinghua Association.
Degrees
PhD Student in Textile Design Research, Royal College of Art, London, U.K., September 2023 - Present
MPS in Arts and Cultural Management, Pratt Institute, New York, U.S., August 2016 - May 2018, GPA: 3.82/4.0
BA in Fashion Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, September 2011 - July 2015, GPA: 3.93/4.0
Experience
Work Experience
Marketing and Business Development Director, UK Tsinghua Association, London, U.K., December 2023 - Present
Founder, Brand Manager & Design Director, Misha Lin Studio, Beijing, China, November 2020 - Present
Intern, Textile Department, Jason Wu LLC., New York, U.S., June 2018 - December 2018
Assistant to the Director of Marketing, Wonderworld Interactive Exhibition, New York, U.S., June 2018 - December 2018
Manager of Design & Operation Assistant, 180 Creative Gallery, New York, U.S., October 2017 - May 2018
Business Development & Project Planning Officer, Beijing Poly Art Contemporary Limited, Beijing, China, November 2019 - November 2020
Project Experience
Organiser & Team Leader, Butterfly Effect, New York, U.S., June 2017 - May 2018
Research Member, The Crop Cycle, New York, U.S., November 2017
Researcher & Designer, Adorkable Tiger, Beijing, China, January 2015 - June 2015
Awards
Generative Unravelling Series, shortlisted for the Design Values Award 2025, organised by Design Society and the Victoria and Albert Museum, 21 April 2025 (Final results pending).
Most Likely to Become a Rockstar, ACM Program, Pratt Institute, 2018
Adorkable Tiger, The Excellent Graduation Design Award, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, 2015
The Application of Chinese Folk Tiger Patterns in Fashion Design, The Excellent Graduation Thesis Award, Tsinghua University, 2015
Funding
The Friend of Tsinghua Fashion Scholarship, Tsinghua University, October 2015
The Outstanding Literary and Artistic Scholarship, Tsinghua University, 2011-2012
Exhibitions
Exhibitions of Generative Unravelling Series
1. Generative Unravelling Series
• Exhibition AI for Humanity Spotlight, part of GOSIM Hangzhou 2025 global open-source innovation summit, Hangzhou, China. Invited researcher and artist, 13 — 14 September 2025.
• Exhibition IEEE ICME AIART Gallery 2025, part of the 7th IEEE Artificial Intelligence for Art Creation Workshop (AIART 2025), a sub-event of the IEEE International Conference on Multimedia & Expo (ICME 2025), at La Cité des Congrès de Nantes, France, 30 June — 4 July 2025.
• Exhibition Breaking Boundaries 破域, Tinglan Art Museum 庭澜美术馆, No. 192 Zhengyang Street, Shenhe District, Shenyang, China. Invited artist, 18 June — 6 July, 2025.
2. ∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes
• Exhibition Tiangong Kaiwu 天工开物: Crafting Works of Nature, hosted by China Art and Design Magazine《艺术与设计》杂志社有限公司 and the Chinese Embassy, at the China pavilion, part of London Craft Week 2025, at Royal Mint Court, London. Invited artist, 12 – 15 May 2025.
• Exhibition Between Coexistence, Panel Discussion Artistic Practice and Identity Reconstruction in a Cross-Cultural Context, presented by Chinese Arts & Crafts Society, University of the Arts London (UAL), sponsored by Bounce Fund, at Millbank Tower, London. Invited Artist and Panel Guest, 30 Apr – 2 May 2025.
• Exhibition Ubiquitous Technology: The Science of Aesthetics, Art Salon Symbiosis of Cultural Heritage and Technology, co-hosted by the UK Tsinghua Alumni Association (UKTA) and the organisation’s advisor Nancy Zetian Zhang, made possible by JINGDONG, at 20 King Street, St. James’s, London. Exhibition Co-curator and Artist, Art Salon Curator and Speaker, 9 Oct – 18 Nov 2024.
3. Hand in Thought — Unravelling the Intangible
• Event and Exhibition RCA Research Biennale 2025, organised by the Royal College of Art (RCA), Hangar Space, RCA Battersea. Biennale Exhibition Committee Member, Roundtable Speaker of Articulating Material Engagement, Researcher and Artist, 21 — 27 Feb 2025.
Other Exhibitions
• Butterfly Effect, 180 Creative Gallery, New York, Team Leader and Curator, 2018
• SOFT BODY, Digital Art Installation, Aranya Gold Coast Community, Qinhuangdao, Beidaihe, Beijing Poly Art Company Limited, Business Development and Project Planning Officer, 2020
• 15/16 Fashion Show—Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design & NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano, the D-PARK No.1 Workshop, 751 Art Zone, Beijing, The Adorkable Tiger, Fashion Designer, 2015
• Babylon Fashion Show—Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design & NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano, Milan International Fashion Week 2015, Milan, The Adorkable Tiger, Fashion Designer, 2015
• The Start of a Long Journey—Outstanding Works by Graduates From Key Art Academies in China, The Adorkable Tiger, Fashion Designer, 2015
• Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design 2015 Undergraduate Cohort's Second Graduation Exhibition, Tsinghua University Art Museum and Area A Multi-Function Hall, Beijing, The Adorkable Tiger, Fashion Designer, 2015
Publications
Bremner, C. et al. (2024) Whether We Design: A Weather Report. Printed Publication. Available at: https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/5670/.
Research outputs
Lin, M. (2015). The Application of Chinese Folk Tiger Patterns in Fashion Design. Bachelor's thesis, Tsinghua University.
Lin, M., Wang, Y., Xia, M., Zhao, Z., & Chen, Y. (2018, February 11). Butterfly effect: Introducing Miao traditional textile art in an interactive space. Master's Integrated Capstone Research Project, Arts and Culture Management, Pratt Institute.
Conferences
Mi, L. (2024). Transdisciplinary immersion: Digitising textile intangible cultural heritage. Research presented at the Transcension Workshop: Active Voices – Transdisciplinarity and Participation in Ancient Studies, Berliner Antike-Kolleg (BAK) and the Institute Archäologie und Kulturgeschichte Nordostafrikas (AKNOA), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.