Peiyang (Camille) Li

Growing up between Shenzhen, China, and New York City, as well as other cultural environments, how have these diverse contexts influenced your artistic language?

Growing up between Shenzhen and New York, while also being immersed in different cultural environments, has shaped not only my aesthetics but more importantly, my way of thinking as a creator. From Eastern culture, I learned the importance of awareness—understanding what audiences are curious about and how to extend the impact of my work by engaging with those interests. Western culture, on the other hand, taught me how to face criticism with balance, to embrace strengths while acknowledging limits, and to see how art can merge seamlessly with fields that seem unrelated at first glance. For instance, before my studies at Parsons, I never knew that conductive thread existed. That discovery opened my eyes to how textiles can extend beyond beauty—into technology, lighting, and even spatial experience.

You are both a textile designer and a professional astrology consultant. How do these two practices intersect and inform each other in your creative process?

In astrology consultations, clients often share what is currently shaping their mindset or emotions. Sometimes, these conversations spark unexpected creative directions. One of my textile projects, for example, was inspired by a client with whom I shared a significant Mars–Neptune aspect in our charts. Mars represents drive and agency—our ability to act and move forward—while Neptune symbolizes the subconscious, dreams, and hidden truths. Together, these energies pointed me toward a story about blurred morality and unseen struggle.

The project drew from a traditional dining ritual in a Japanese fishing village, where live seafood is injured, placed in a bowl, and left to struggle while diners find excitement in the spectacle. It made me question: Should such traditions continue? Where do we draw the ethical line? Through that work, astrology didn’t just provide symbolism—it offered a framework to reflect on human behavior, power, and morality.

Peiyang (Camille) Li | Econyl Collaboration | 2025

Your works combine crocheting, macrame, ruching, knitting, and even E-textiles. What draws you to exploring such a wide range of textile techniques?

My exposure to such a variety of textile practices began during my 2 degree studies at Parsons. I was fortunate to learn from professors and peers who each had unique specialties and were eager to exchange knowledge. At the same time, I was personally fascinated by craft techniques—passion really is the best teacher.

Another motivation is the urgency I feel as AI becomes more integrated into creative fields. While AI is efficient, it cannot fully replicate the tactile depth and layered process of textile-making. A garment that combines knitting and woven structures, for example, embodies complexities that a machine cannot yet generate. For me, preserving and experimenting with traditional methods is also a way to ensure they don’t fade into obscurity.

Peiyang (Camille) Li | Emotion Shyness | 2023

In your project Memory Mental Bullying, you integrated E-wire decoration with French Knot techniques. What challenges and discoveries did you encounter in merging traditional textile craft with technology?

The greatest challenge was to make the wires feel intentional—less like an intrusion, more like part of the fabric’s story. French Knots, dense and rounded, disguised the wires so they appeared naturally embedded in the textile. With light glowing through the wires, the knots became a metaphor for resistance and the impulse to push back against unfair experience. To me, the wires’ bright, almost aggressive light symbolized my voice, while the darker yarns—black and burgundy—embodied conflict and mental manipulation from others. Juxtaposed together, they created a raw, striking tension. I discovered that technology, when woven thoughtfully, doesn’t diminish craft; it intensifies the emotional impact.

Peiyang (Camille) Li | Memory Mental Bullying | 2023

Many of your works are inspired by stories collected during astrology consultations. Can you share an example where a client’s story directly shaped a textile piece?

The project I described earlier—the Japanese dining ritual—remains the only work so far directly shaped by a client’s astrological story. While not all of my projects originate from consultations, that particular experience highlighted how deeply personal narratives can translate into universal questions of ethics and empathy. Thank you for your understanding.

Peiyang (Camille) Li | Nuclear Waste Mutant Creatures | 2025

Which project has been the most personally transformative for you so far, and why?

Memory Mental Bullying has been the most transformative. It felt like the purest translation of inner conflict into form. Without sketches or hesitation, I immediately knew which elements to use—recycled nylon cords for their rough, reptilian tactility, oversized forms to evoke the suffocating weight of darkness, and a green-lit smiley face inside the installation to represent the “victor”—the oppressive, manipulative force that dominates by any means necessary. For me, the most impactful works are those that audiences grasp intuitively. This project’s clarity and intensity made it both deeply personal and universally resonant.

Looking forward, are there specific social, environmental, or psychological issues you would like to further explore through textiles?

For instance, I was struck by a case I saw online: a mother documenting her daughter’s daily life for short videos. At first, it seemed innocent—the child’s charm attracted followers and sponsors, providing financial relief. But over time, the mother, motivated by profit, staged harmful scenarios—making her daughter fall, manipulating her height in photos, even forcing her to wear clothes too small to preserve an image of “childlike cuteness.” To me, this reflected a disturbing cycle: her mother’s limited educational background, the sudden access to wealth, and the erosion of ethical boundaries led to a dispute on the Internet about the mother.

I imagine expressing this through crocheting or knotting techniques—tangled threads symbolizing the distorted relationship, where nurturing is replaced by exploitation, and the child becomes more of a resource than a person.