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# Project Description Threads of Song, Echoes of Weave Xinyi Mao Summary Final work I am Xinyi Mao, an Industrial designer from a multi-ethnic region in Southwest China. My work explores themes of identity, minority empowerment, cultural memory, and emotional resonance. Growing up in an ethnic minority region, I have become deeply aware of the tensions between tradition and modernity, visibility and erasure. Through my practice, I strive to create sensitive, story-driven experiences that bridge cultures and foster dialogue. I am Xinyi Mao, an Industrial designer from a multi-ethnic region in Southwest China. My work exp... College Central Saint Martins Course MA Industrial Design Graduation year 2025 Threads of Song, Echoes of Weave is an interactive installation inspired by the Dong ethnic group’s iconic drum tower architecture. It emerges from a personal exploration of cultural identity, rooted in the lived experience of growing up in a multi-ethnic region in Southwest China. The installation seeks to evoke empathy by drawing audiences into a subtle emotional space shaped by nostalgia, homesickness, and a quiet sense of belonging. These emotional tones become a means for engaging with the deeper significance of intangible cultural heritage. The drum tower’s layered structure is clad in Dong cloth, a stiff, natural indigo-dyed textile with a distinctive sheen, and adorned with handwoven ribbons crafted by local Dong women. Audiences interact with it by tapping a small Dong drum, triggering soundscapes of the Dong Grand Song, while hidden scrolls containing cultural stories can be manually drawn from each level. By encouraging sensory engagement with overlooked traditions, the project aims to redirect attention to ethnical minority communities whose voices and cultures are often underrepresented. Final work “Tap. Listen. Read.” See the Tower This is an 11-tier interactive model of a Dong drum tower, created as a cultural storytelling device. Standing approximately 60cm tall, it features a wooden frame wrapped in pleated Dong cloth, which is traditionally dyed with indigo and stiffened using egg white for a distinctive sheen and texture. Hidden beneath each tier is a scroll containing different aspects of Dong cultural heritage, from choral traditions to textile symbolism. Besides, a small drum embedded with sensors, allows visitors to activate a speaker concealed in the tower's roof. When tapped, it plays the Dong Grand Song: authentic, multi-part polyphonic singing unique to the Dong ethnic group. Hear the Song Tapping the small drum placed beside the installation activates a sensor that triggers a hidden speaker in the roof, playing authentic Dong Grand Song: an unaccompanied, multi-part choral tradition passed down through generations. Read the Story Pulling out a scroll from beneath the roof of the drum tower reveals different aspects of Dong cultural knowledge, including the architecture of the Dong drum tower, the making of Dong cloth, the tradition of Dong Grand Songs, and Dong‘s Sax Siis belief. Research and process “Gulls Call To My Solitude” is part of my graduation project, a booklet that weaves together personal narrative and the cultural fabric of the Dong ethnic group. The title comes from a poem by Jiang Jie, a poet of China’s Southern Song Dynasty: "White gulls ask me, moored here alone on a boat— Are you trapped here in body or in soul? If your heart truly stays, Why does worry crease your brow?" I chose this verse for its resonance with my own reflections on belonging and departure. In a life of constant movement, what remains anchored? the body or the heart? For me, this project is both a design practice and a journey of retrospection and discovery. As supplementary material for my interactive installation, this booklet provides deeper insight into the emotional and cultural layers of the work. Blending autobiographical fragments, field research, Dong cultural heritage, and design process documentation, it seeks to explore identity and memory through a lyrical, contemplative lens. Share this project Threads of Song, Echoes of Weave is an interactive installation inspired by the Dong ethnic group’s iconic drum tower architecture. It emerges from a personal exploration of cultural identity, rooted in the lived experience of growing up in a multi-ethnic regi... A link to this page has been added to your clipboard Browse related work Identity Community Race Identity CulturalIdentity BlackAndMinorityEthnic Narrative Ethical Installation Interaction Emotion Nostalgia
# Links ## Official page - https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/646892/cover ## External - https://www.instagram.com/MoonToLight_ - mailto:maoxinyi.2000@gmail.com - https://portfolio-tools.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/06010754/Gulls-Call-To-My-Solitude-1.pdf - https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F646892%2Fcover&text=Threads+of+Song%2C+Echoes+of+Weave - https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F646892%2Fcover&media=https%3A%2F%2Fportfolio-tools.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2F05122822%2FHeroPicture.jpg&description=Threads+of+Song%2C+Echoes+of+Weave