In 1897, after her fourth visit to Korea, an English traveler and writer Isabella Bishop noted in her book Korea and Her Neighbours that Korean people liked to wear white. Her description was one of many historic descriptions about the “White-Clad Folk”, a term used to describe the Korean spirit. Some people still insist that it could be a simple myth to conceal the truth of flagrant poverty, given Korean people had been too poor to grow costly but inedible plants. However, as stated by Ms. Isabella, "This wearing of white clothes … entails very severe and incessant labor on the women. The coats have to be unpicked and put together again each time that they are washed." (p339, ‘social position of women’) And the Joseon Dynasty until the 19th century and the following Japanese Forces government had prohibited people to wear white due to this inefficiency. But wearing in white became the symbol of protest and resistance instead. Those historical records prove how ancient Koreans loved to wear white, with traditional textiles like muslin, linen or cotton without dyeing or bleaching. Wearing white was more than preference actually. Historically commoners wore white, and the practice related to worship and heaven. Textile fibers founded in Korea are generally plant-based, like linen and cotton, which were harder to take colours than animal-based fibers like silk or wool. White was also the colour of rice, which has been and still is fundamental to Asian lives. Korean people still take it for granted to make white rice with white alcohol when holding a memorial service to their ancestors. This colour was not actually the modern white that we are familiar with today, but called So-saek in Korean, which can be translated as uncoloured, natural or off-white. Before raw textiles are dyed or bleached, it’s possible to observe several neutral colours, and so-saek describes it. This has inspired contemporary quilters to produce new quilts, not only in finding the best way to mix-and-match the traditional textiles with the commercial fabrics and apply various quilt techniques on them, but developing the themes from the meaning. Their ambition is to show the current state of Korean quilts, and this exhibition focuses on the universal role of colours in making quilts, exploring how it creates meaning and provides context.
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