This publication is produced in the context of 'The Return of the Shreds', an exhibition organised by Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal in Scheltema, Leiden, May to July 2007. Both the publication and the exhibition are a result of 'Laboratories on the Move', a year-long collaborative project by artist Ni Haifeng and art historian Kitty Zijlmans in which they explore new possibilities of cultural production in the age of globalisation. The project is part of 'CO-OPS: Exploring New Territories in Art and Science' which pairs artists with scholars or scientists to work together on a shared theme.

Ni Haifeng has created multiple installations that consist of both products and leftovers of modern trade and manufacturing, such as fabric scraps, tea leaves, spices, and porcelain. Apart from commenting on the transference of things and thoughts between nations, cultures, and people, the exhibition also examines related issues of identity and representation, colonialism and globalism, and exploitation and immigration.

Biography and bibliography provided.