Foreword Takahashi Mizuki and Teoh Chin Chin Co-Directors Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT) Th e C e n tre fo r H e ri ta ge, A rts and Texti l e (CHAT) is a new art centre, operated by MILL6 Foundation, that is scheduled to open in the spring of 2019. P r i o r t o C H AT ’s g r a n d o p e n i n g , w e h a v e organised the second edition of our annual international discussion forum, the TECHSTYLE Series, a unique platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas of textile, arts and contemporary society through multiple events. Accompanied by a two-day discussion forum, the retrospective exhibition of Japanese textile designer Arai Jun’ichi in Hong Kong was organised by CHAT together with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing as TECHSTYLE Series 2.2. Featuring international and Hong Kong speakers and panelists, the 2.1 edition of the forum “Fabpublic! – Talking about Textile, Community and Public Space” focused on how textile intervenes in the shaping of community and public space. While myriad online communities have emerged in virtual space, traditional communities have faced rapid changes to their forms of existence. Traditional weaving communities and their associated manufacturing techniques have been disappearing in many regions, despite their history of being collective labour enterprises that provided important economic and social bonds for the members of these communities. While the manufacturing processes of their fabric articles affect the collaborative threads of communities, the final output – a piece of fabric – also dramatically transforms the spaces it inhabits. For example, when such fabric is placed on the ground, it at times redefines the area as a personal territory or, at other times, into a space for community gathering. Interrogating the role of community in contemporary society, we hope to explore different ways of building communities through the applications of textile art in different forms and/or in diverse spaces.
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For instance, for CHAT’s pre-opening summer pr ogramme in July 2018, a Berlin-based contemporary artist, Taguchi Yukihiro invited people from diverse communities in Hong Kong to create a large Spun Dragon, inspired by the traditional firedragon dance which usually performs during traditional celebratory festivals in Hong Kong. The body of the Spun Dragon consists of more than 30 woven cubes of upcycled garment waste made by students, families in CHAT’s neighbourhoods. The head created by Taguchi also functions as a weaving loom. Led by Master Ng Kwong-nam, as a symbol of new creative community, this colourful Spun Dragon celebrated the opening of CHAT’s 2018 summer programme with amateur dancers of different ages. From community building to textile adaptations in public spheres, TECHSTYLE Series 2.1 offered a wide spectrum within which participants could engage with, and broaden their experiences of textile’s role as a creative medium. This book is published to share what was discussed to a broader audience who were unable to attend the forum. We hope you will find the many less obvious agendas interwoven within these fabrics of life as presented in this book to be of interest. We are most grateful for the generous support of The D. H. Chen Foundation, the Nan Fung Group, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, British Council Connections Through Culture, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and, Courtyard by Marriott Hong Kong, Sha Tin. Our Special thanks go to all speakers of TECHSTYLE Series 2.1. Our thanks are also due to Arai Masanao, Professor Kinor Jiang and Yuki Cheng of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, for their input into realising this exhibition of one of the most influential textile artists in the world. Last but not least, we also would like to express our deep gratitude to Edith Cheung and Janis Jefferies for their continual generous offers of help and advice, and to all the CHAT team members.
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