Breathing Spectrum
Breathing Spectrum is a series of woven art installations exploring the interaction between light, spectral gradients, and textile structure. Through double weave, hand-dyed cotton yarns, and thin copper wire, the works investigate how fabric can hold, reflect, and transform light while creating subtle spatial shifts.
The collection is made with natural and biodegradable materials. The cotton yarns are hand-dyed by Yuxuan Shang using natural dye processes, while copper wire is woven into the structure to support the fabric and allow the pieces to respond to space, gravity, and illumination.
Materials: naturally dyed cotton yarn, copper wire
Techniques: double weave, hand dyeing, woven installation
Year: 2026
Capstone Thesis Project, MFA Textile Design, Parsons School of Design
Reversible Spectrum
Reversible Spectrum
Cotton yarn, copper wire
Double weave
14" × 110"
2026
Reversible Spectrum is a technical exploration within Yuxuan Shang’s Breathing Spectrum series, investigating the spatial and visual possibilities of double weave. Inspired by the continuous loop of the Möbius strip, the piece considers weaving as a structure that can fold, reverse, and reconnect within itself.
Through the use of double weave, the work creates a reversible color system in which one side transitions from red to green, while the opposite side mirrors the shift from green to red. This symmetrical reversal transforms the woven surface into a spatial experiment, where color, structure, and direction are held in tension across the same piece of cloth.
Soft Branching
Cotton yarn, copper wire
Double weave
10" × 60"
2026
Soft Branching investigates how yarn material and thickness affect color, transparency, and woven structure. Combining undyed cotton yarn with extremely fine copper wire, the piece uses double weave and branching techniques to form an organic installation with a soft sense of air and movement.
The contrast between cotton and metal allows the woven structure to move beyond a flat surface, creating subtle dimensional shifts, irregular openings, and a breathing quality. Through its branching construction, Soft Branching appears to grow, suspend, and respond quietly to the surrounding space.
Cotton yarn, copper wire
Weaving
30" × 100"
2026
Held in Light focuses on spectrum and color transition within a woven installation. Through gradual shifts in color and variations in the openness of the woven structure, the piece explores how textile can hold and diffuse light.
The changing rhythm of the color transitions creates a soft visual movement across the surface, while the translucent quality of the weave allows light to pass through and transform the fabric. Suspended in space, Held in Light presents a quiet sense of breath, transparency, and atmospheric movement.
Cotton yarn, copper wire
Double weave
30" × 70"
2026
Captured Flow combines Yuxuan Shang’s explorations of double weave, branching structures, and spectrum-based color transitions. The piece brings these approaches together to create an organic woven installation, where structure and color appear to move through the fabric like a continuous flow.
Through its airy rhythm and branching form, Captured Flow invites the audience to look through the textile rather than only at its surface. The gradual color shifts interact with thin copper wire, allowing the work to catch and reflect sunlight. As light passes through the open structure, the piece creates a breathing sense of movement, transparency, and quiet vitality.