"Reluctant to let my feelings stir,

I picked up a detective novel.

Tracing the threads of clues, I unspooled the mystery,

Only to suddenly realize it was a textile art exhibition,

And so, deeply moved, I wept.

Yet, ironically, the story woven behind the fabric remains so enigmatic and elusive;

Alas, here I am, playing a detective lost in the mist."

In Luan Xueyan: void with wind, Luan uses "garments" and "objects" as her clues, prioritizing personal experience over grand narratives. These intimate personal details have been transformed into cards and threads, hidden within booklets scattered throughout the gallery, quietly waiting for visitors to piece together the complete story.

Why are feathered wings hidden inside a skirt? Why do the star and rocket buttons scattered about emit a faint glow in the dead of night? On the afternoon of August 8th, we have specially invited writer Lei Mengru to MACA. Using "seeking" and "investigating" as the methods of action, Lei will be the guide to explore the possible mist within the artworks. Here, you might be a detective, tracking down the mastermind of the mystery after finding a loose thread. Or, you might be a co-conspirator, attempting to connect with an accomplice to conceal a message.

The fibers of every garment were once pressed tightly against someone's skin. Over time, these clothes have acquired a warmth of their own and begun to breathe. If you lean in close, you can faintly hear a question as light as a sigh: "With whom?"

Threadbare, frayed underwear paired with a long floral apron, walking within a semicircle paved with incense ash—with whom were those whispers, softer than wool, shared?

An indigo gym suit from Shenyang No. 10 Middle School in 1953—with whom did it ride a rocket to land on Saturn in the night?

Torn shorts harboring a long bridal veil—with whom will they listen to music on a road trip next?

This workshop invites you to gaze together into the crevices of the everyday, allowing silent objects to sound, and reweaving scattered traces of life into the hidden stories obscured by time.

About the Instructor: Lei Mengru

Lei Mengru is a writer and Master of Criminal Justice from Macau University of Science and Technology. Her prose is mainly published in Youth Observation magazine and included in the Anthology of Macau Writers. She attempts to hone her litigation skills through the reading of detective novels.