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Patch up fabric leftovers into fine arts
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Xu Wen, curator of the exhibition, wants to set up a dialogue between the past and today.
Xu Wen said, "Here we displayed 40 pieces collected from 20 ethnic groups, standing with those personal works of Jin Yuanshan. Together, they display a vivid demonstration on how the patching art moves as time goes by. If you wear such a piece walking on the street, others might think you are wearing an antique. But this one from Jin is a good choice as a fashionable evening gown with a strong folk flavor."
Xu exhibits the lineup at one of the birthplaces of China's future fashion designers, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. The exhibition carries an ambition, to offer direction for young minds to push their folk culture to a new and broader vision.
Xu Yi is working on her graduate thesis on how to apply patching art in fashion design. The 20-something young lady is excited to participate in such an exhibition focused on the genre.
Xu Yi said, "An exhibition like this is so rare. Jin Yuanshan is one of the few experts that I can learn from and talk with about this genre. Today, you can easily see copying in the fashion design. A famous foreign designer once said that patching will be popular again after a well and long development of the fashion industry, for it can blend different kinds of art into one. I believe the trend is coming."
Wang Qinyi, college student, said, "I'm in the second year of my major in fashion design. To me, the exhibition is a big surprise. I never noticed patching art before. I didn't know anything about it until I came here. They are beautiful. Some follow a certain rule in patterns while other run the opposite way."
And I was lucky to try one on, a special one.
It's a traditional Korean wedding gown. A hand made piece like this costs around 2,000 US dollars. Even if you have the budget, you can't get this one, because it's a gift from a mother-in-law to her new bride. Thread by thread, patches were quilted with a mother's love.
Many of the traditional Korean dresses are patched together using scraps. It was very popular among poor people in the past, but today, that kind of attire is only worn on big occasions or for a performance.
But artists and fans of patching art won't be satisfied with that. They are looking for ways to bring the environmentally-friend folk culture back to everyday life.
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