Foreword

Takahashi Mizuki and Teoh Chin Chin Co-Directors Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT)

The Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT) is a new art centre, operated by MILL6 Foundation, that is scheduled to open in the spring of 2019.

Prior to CHAT’s grand opening, we have 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. For instance, for CHAT’s pre-opening summer p r o g ra m m e i n J u l y 2 0 1 8 , a B e r l i n - b a s ed 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.

高 六 橋瑞木及張晶晶 廠紡織文化藝術館聯席總監

六廠紡織文化藝術館（CHAT 六廠）為一所全新 的藝術 中心， 由 六 廠 基 金 會 負 責 營運， 預 計 於 2019 年春季開放予公眾參觀。

在 CHAT 六廠正式開幕之前，我們主辦了第二 屆「新經緯系列」，透過各類型項目，為公眾提 供一個獨特的平台，彼此交流有關紡織、藝術與 當代社會的學問和想法。今年活動包括為期兩天 的研討會，以及聯同香港理工大學紡織及製衣學 系，舉辦「新經緯系列 2.2」，日本紡織設計師新 井淳一在香港的回顧展。

新經緯系列 2.1 研討會以「Fabpublic! — 關於紡 織、社區和公共空間」為題，講者及討論嘉賓來 自世界各地及香港，重點探討紡織如何能夠影響 社區及公共空間的塑造。當今天網絡世界裡的社 群大行其道，傳統實體社區的存在模式已迅速起 了轉變。在許多地區，傳統編織社群及技藝正日 漸消逝，儘管他們過去曾透過集體勞動，連繫著 群體內的每一位成員。

布料的製作過程既可影響不同群體的協作模式， 其製成品亦同樣可對一個空間產生重大的變化。 舉例說：放置一塊編織物於地上，可賦予一個地 方新的定義，變成一個私人領域，又或是一個讓 人們進行聚會的空間。藉著深究社群於當代社會 的角色，我們希望探討在不同空間藉著紡織建立 群體的各種方式。

2018 年 7 月我們舉辦的開幕前奏夏季項目就 是一例。該項目邀請了旅居德國柏林的當代藝術家 田口行弘參與，他取材於香港傳統節日的舞火龍， 聚集 本 地 不 同 社 區 成 員 一 起 編 製 巨 型 的 「 紡 織 龍」，由 CHAT 六廠所在地區的學生和家庭將回 收的廢棄衣物造成龍身的三十多個立方體，而他 主力創作的龍頭則原為織布機。在該項目的開幕 禮上，吳江南師傅帶領各年齡階層的業餘隊員舞 動「紡織龍」，象徵新型創意社區的落成。

從社群建立到公共領域的紡織創新，「新經緯系 列 2.1」的各項活動，讓大家在紡織的國度裡展 開不同的創作體驗。我們出版研討會論文集，旨 在將會上論題推廣到更多觀眾，期望讀者能在文 字間感悟到生活中千絲萬縷的紡織瑣事。 我們衷心感謝以下單位的鼎力支持，包括：陳廷 驊基金會、南豐集團、香港理工大學、荷蘭總領 事館、英國文化協會文化連線、荷蘭皇家航空公 司、香港沙田萬怡酒店。感謝新經緯系列2.1研 討會所有講者的參與。我們亦感謝新井正直，以 及香港理工大學紡織及製衣學系的姜綬祥教授、 鄭潔兒，讓國際知名的紡織藝術家之展覽，得以 成功舉行。最後，我們藉此表達對張西美和珍妮 絲．謝菲斯的深切感激，她們一直以來熱心向我 們提供協助和建議；此外也要向CHAT六廠的所 有成員說聲謝謝。