Mi (Misha) Lin
- Current PhD student
- Design MPhil/PhD
Embodied Digitranscend: Reimagining Postdigital Engagement with the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Miao Piling Embroidery
Mi 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.
This inquiry takes shape through Generative Unravelling, an ongoing research series comprising 3:33, ∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes and Hand in Thought — Unravelling the Intangible. Bringing digital art into dialogue with physical textile elements and live interaction, the series creates immersive experiences that invite audiences to encounter textile heritage through material, sound, moving image and bodily participation. These works provide a setting for exploring how living textile traditions can be experienced and transmitted beyond glass cases in the digital era.
The series has been exhibited internationally at venues and events including Southbank Centre in London, Shanghai Art Museum and the IEEE ICME AIART Gallery in Nantes. It has also received international recognition, including Silver at the International Design Awards (2025), a Creative Communication Award (2025) and a shortlisting for the V&A × Design Society Design Values Award (2025).
Key details
Area of expertise
Supervisors
Gallery
More about Mi (Misha)
Biography
Mi (Misha) Lin is a London-based cross-disciplinary artist and PhD researcher at the School of Design, Royal College of Art (RCA). Her practice asks how textile intangible cultural heritage can be brought to life beyond glass cases in the digital era. Focusing on Miao Piling Embroidery from southwest China, she creates immersive experiences, often bringing digital art into dialogue with physical textile elements and live interaction. Informed by textile thinking and embodiment, her work invites audiences to engage with living textile traditions through material, sound, moving image and bodily participation.
Alongside her research and artistic practice, Lin works across curation, cultural communication and cross-cultural creative projects. She is an Associate Member of Material Intelligence within the Creative Intelligence Exchange (CIX) at the RCA and serves as Business Development Director of the UK Tsinghua Association (UKTA). She has been invited to deliver lectures, join panels and participate in public discussions at the RCA and University of the Arts London.
Lin holds a BA in Fashion Design from Tsinghua University, where she received the Excellent Graduation Design Award and the Excellent Graduation Thesis Award, and an MPS in Arts and Cultural Management from Pratt Institute, New York.
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
Professional experience and affiliations
Associate Member, Material Intelligence, Creative Intelligence Exchange (CIX), Royal College of Art, London, UK.
Marketing and Business Development Director, UK Tsinghua Association, London, UK, December 2023–present.
Founder, Brand Manager & Design Director, Misha Lin Studio, Beijing, China, November 2020–present.
Business Development & Project Planning Officer, Beijing Poly Art Contemporary Limited, Beijing, China, November 2019–November 2020.
Intern, Textile Department, Jason Wu LLC., New York, US, June–December 2018.
Assistant to the Director of Marketing, Wonderworld Interactive Exhibition, New York, US, June–December 2018.
Manager of Design & Operation Assistant, 180 Creative Gallery, New York, US, October 2017–May 2018.
Selected talks, lectures and panels
Guest Lecturer, Navigating the Intangibility: How Research Takes Shape through Experience, Technology, and Active Making, Envisioning Futures unit, MDes Design Futures, School of Design, Royal College of Art, 5 February 2026.
Special Lecturer and Invited Panel Guest, Identities in Motion: Beyond Display, graduate conference presented by the MA Curating & Collections programme, Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London, 15 November 2025.
Panel guest, Artistic Practice and Identity Reconstruction in a Cross-Cultural Context, associated with Between Coexistence, Chinese Arts & Crafts Society, University of the Arts London, Millbank Tower, London, 30 April–2 May 2025.
Art salon curator and speaker, The Symbiosis of Cultural Heritage and Technology, associated with Ubiquitous Technology: The Science of Aesthetics, 20 King Street, St James’s, London, 16 November 2024.
Project experience
Organiser & Team Leader, Butterfly Effect, New York, US, June 2017–May 2018.
Research Member, The Crop Cycle, New York, US, November 2017.
Researcher & Designer, Adorkable Tiger, Beijing, China, January–June 2015.
Awards
London International Creative Competition (LICC) 2025 — Official Selection
CREATE / Art · Organised by Farmani Group · 1 May 2026.
19th Annual International Design Awards (IDA) 2025 — Silver Winner
Multimedia / Interactive Media · Organised by Farmani Group · 11 Dec 2025.
Creative Communication Award (C2A) 2025 — Winner
Student Category (Other Short Films / TV / Film / Animation) · Organised by Farmani Group · 12 Nov 2025.
Design Values Award 2025 — Shortlisted
Organised by Design Society and the Victoria and Albert Museum · 21 Apr 2025 (Final results pending).
Most Likely to Become a Rockstar — 2018
ACM Program · Pratt Institute.
The Excellent Graduation Design Award — 2015
Adorkable Tiger · Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University.
The Excellent Graduation Thesis Award — 2015
The Application of Chinese Folk Tiger Patterns in Fashion Design · Tsinghua University.
Funding
EPSRC AI Skills Fund, Royal College of Art — Support for the exhibition of 3:33, from the Generative Unravelling series, at RCA AI Festival 2026: Where Intelligence Meets Imagination, 18 February 2026.
Friend of Tsinghua Fashion Scholarship, Tsinghua University, 2015.
Outstanding Literary and Artistic Scholarship, Tsinghua University, 2011–2012.
Exhibitions
3:33 — Exploration Bazaar, part of Creative Intelligence, Southbank Centre, The Clore Ballroom, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK. Exhibiting researcher and artist, 12–13 September 2026.
3:33 — RCA AI Festival 2026: Where Intelligence Meets Imagination, Snap Visualisation Lab, Rausing Research & Innovation Building, Royal College of Art, Battersea, London. Invited researcher and artist, 18 February 2026. Supported by the EPSRC AI Skills Fund.
Hand in Thought — Unravelling the Intangible — 4th Shanghai Art & Design Exhibition: Revealing Futures, part of the 70th Anniversary Series of the China Art Museum (Shanghai Art Museum), Shanghai, China. Invited exhibiting artist, 16 January–25 March 2026.
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes and Hand in Thought — Unravelling the Intangible — AI for Humanity Spotlight, part of GOSIM Hangzhou 2025, Hangzhou, China. Invited researcher and artist, 13–14 September 2025.
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes and Hand in Thought — Unravelling the Intangible — IEEE ICME AIART Gallery 2025, part of AIART 2025 at IEEE ICME, La Cité des Congrès de Nantes, France. Invited researcher and artist, 30 June–4 July 2025.
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes and Hand in Thought — Unravelling the Intangible — Breaking Boundaries 破域, Tinglan Art Museum 庭澜美术馆, Shenyang, China. Invited artist, 18 June–6 July 2025.
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes and Hand in Thought — Unravelling the Intangible — Tiangong Kaiwu 天工开物: Crafting Works of Nature, China Pavilion, London Craft Week 2025, Royal Mint Court, London. Invited artist, 12–15 May 2025.
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes — Between Coexistence, presented by Chinese Arts & Crafts Society, University of the Arts London, sponsored by Bounce Fund, Millbank Tower, London. Invited artist, 30 April–2 May 2025.
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes and Hand in Thought — Unravelling the Intangible — RCA Research Biennale 2025, Hangar Space, RCA Battersea, London. Biennale Exhibition Committee member, roundtable speaker of Articulating Material Engagement, researcher and artist, 21–27 February 2025.
∞: Thousand Threads, Thousand Universes — Ubiquitous Technology: The Science of Aesthetics, co-hosted by UKTA and the organisation’s advisor Nancy Zetian Zhang, made possible by JINGDONG, 20 King Street, St James’s, London. Exhibition co-curator and artist, 9 October–18 November 2024.
Other exhibitions
SOFT BODY — Digital art installation, Aranya Gold Coast Community, Qinhuangdao, Beidaihe, China, with Beijing Poly Art Company Limited. Business development and project planning officer, 2020.
Butterfly Effect — 180 Creative Gallery, New York. Team leader and curator, 2018.
The Adorkable Tiger — 15/16 Fashion Show, Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design and NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano, D-PARK No.1 Workshop, 751 Art Zone, Beijing. Fashion designer, 2015.
The Adorkable Tiger — Babylon Fashion Show, Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design and NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano, Milan International Fashion Week, Milan. Fashion designer, 2015.
The Adorkable Tiger — The Start of a Long Journey: Outstanding Works by Graduates from Key Art Academies in China. Fashion designer, 2015.
The Adorkable Tiger — Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design 2015 Undergraduate Cohort’s Second Graduation Exhibition, Tsinghua University Art Museum and Area A Multi-Function Hall, Beijing. Fashion designer, 2015.
Publications
Lin, M. (2026) From Textility to Embodied Experience: A Practice-Led Generative Approach to Textile ICH Engagement, in Jane Scott, Sophie Skach, and Rebecca Stewart (eds.), Textile Intersections 2026, 17–18 September 2026, London, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/TI-2026.169
Research outputs
Bremner, C. et al. (2024) Whether We Design: A Weather Report. Printed Publication. Available at: https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/5670/.
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.
Press, media and institutional features
People’s Daily Overseas Edition — Lead feature in the Overseas Chinese section, page 06, “Mi Lin, a UK-based artist — Using Visual Art to Transmit the Elegance of Miao Embroidery” / 《旅英艺术家林汨——用视觉艺术 传苗绣风华》, 3 July 2026.
Aesthetica Magazine — Full-page feature in Issue 128: Reflection (December/January 2026), Artists’ Directory, page 142, published 1 December 2025; also featured in Aesthetica’s Independent Artists to Watch newsletter.
Royal College of Art — Featured in Doctoral Spotlight: Celebrating Research Degrees at RCA, and on the RCA’s official LinkedIn and Instagram channels and XR_RCA Instagram.