Artist Residency Creation Program——Perceiving Ecology and Regrowth in Mountains and Forests
On July 21st, 2023, China·Guilin·Dongli The 2nd Plant Dye Art Field and Brand Conference was opened in Dongli Ancient Village. Prof. Luo Ying (Associate Dean of the Art Design College, Shenzhen University), a key member of the International Fashion Art Network (IFAN) was the chief curator. IFAN, as the international partner of the event, had many members actively involved from the organization of works to the execution of the event.
Several IFAN artists were selected to participate in Artist Residency Creation Program. In May 2023, the artists representing IFAN first went to Dongli Village to conduct field investigation, and adopted digital design methods, such as 3D simulation modeling and rendering, and digital mapping to visualize the initial ideas. Then, the dimensions of each work were refined, and every piece of data was carefully proofread. Afterwards, artists combined textile and plant dyeing, welding, laser cutting and other comprehensive techniques, guiding concepts into practice, combining tradition with modernity, and supplementing science and technology with humanism, to finally produce several exquisite land art works.
During the implementation of the project, the symbiosis of people, nature, art, and technology has greatly enhanced the integration of plant-dyeing culture and land art, which has also triggered new thinking among the artists: how to promote the innovative expression of local cultural resources through residency art creation?
Being aware of this question, some of the IFAN artists spent 23 days living and creating works in the field, producing works that are more expressive of the local culture through the in-depth perception.
The residency program lasted from June 28 to July 20, 2023. The hot summer heat could not dampen the passion for art creation, as artists sought inspiration from the beautiful landscape and rich humanistic atmosphere of the ancient village, letting their senses wander freely in the fragrance, and letting their bodies stretch among the green hills and forests. The IFAN artists have devoted themselves to creating several works of land art combining plant dyeing and installation art, creating a unique interactive experience for the public to participate in or re-create. The works combine the unique cultural qualities of Dongli Village with beautiful symbolism, adding a sense of contemporary art to the village.
时装艺术国际同盟艺术家驻地艺术创作作品
艺术家吕越及团队作品
Butterfly Pavilion
Artist: Lyu Yue (Aluna)
Date: 2023
Material: Cotton and Linen, Metal Frame, Wood, Welded Pattern
Plant Dye Material: Indigo
Size: Length: 15m, Height: 5m, Width: 4m
Location: Riverside Forest, Craft Island, Dongli Village, China
Butterfly has an important status in traditional Chinese culture. In ancient poetry, butterflies have meanings of becoming immortal, freedom, and happiness; a pair of butterflies symbolizes prosperity, and transforming into butterflies expresses metamorphosis and growth. Solid butterflies and hollow butterflies in this work represent Yin and Yang. Metal butterflies make up 3 cubes and a half-cube pavilion, forming an installation that can be enjoyed as a rest space. Butterfly Pavilion shows the artist’s gratitude to nature and shares the humanistic ideology that everything has a spirit, life is sacred, all beings are equal, and heaven and man are one
Bloom Between Heaven and Earth
Artist: Lyu Yue （Aluna）
Date: 2023
Material: Metal, Silk, LED Light Tape, Acrylic
Plant Dye Material: Indigo, Amur Corktree, Hematoxylin, Madder, Haematoxylum Campechianum
Size: Variable
Location: Southeast Riverside of Hongyin Bridge, Dongli Village, China
Bloom Between Heaven and Earth is derived from the main element: "embroidery frame” of the artist's representative work, Hua. Natural-dyed fabrics are fixed in large metal embroidery frames and lifted into the air, resembling a bouquet of colorful blossoms. Together with the reflections in the river, this installation creates a beautiful scene that will never fade. The 12 plates represent the 12 months, symbolizing the cycle of seasons. Threads and fabrics in various colors are all important components of traditional Chinese
needlework. Between heave and
earth, beauty is in the air.
Family of Three
Artist: Lyu Yue (Aluna)，Liu Xin
Date: 2023
Material: Cotton and Linen，Wood，Metal
Plant Dye Material: Persimmon
Size: Variable
Location: Plant Dye Square, Dongli Village, China
Family of Three is a set of interactive installations made of persimmon dyed fabric combined with iron and wood structure. The inner space includes wooden benches for parents to sit on, play space for children to climb on, and kiosks where they can touch the fabric, offering the possibility of family bonding activities. The stability of the main metal structure, and native of the "tuber" like external wood structure, is naturally connected with each other. Rationality and natural beauty are built between the vertical and horizontal intertwining. Ultimately, the contradictory concepts of locality and modernity, handmade sense and industrial sense are reengineered to present a square-round object that is high tech on the inside while rustic on the outside.
Bamboo Color House
Artist: Lyu Yue (Aluna)
Date: 2023
Material: Bamboo, Silk, Metal, Light Bulb
Plant Dye Material: Indigo, Amur Corktree, Hematoxylin, etc.
Size: Width: 4m, Height: 3.5m, Length: 4m
Location: Craft Island End, Dongli Village, China
The form of the Bamboo Color House is taken from the shape of the rice dumpling, and the inspiration originates from the custom of avoiding five poisons with five colors in the Dragon Boat Festival folk culture. The major material of the work is taken from the local bamboo. The piece is placed on the grass by the river in Dongli Village, where every year it can meet with the dragon boat paddlers, echoing each other in the river and on the shore, forming the unique atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival. The five-colored dumpling inside represent the five elements, including gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, which are mutually reinforcing and imply good fortune. Therefore, Bamboo Color House symbolize unity, harmony, happiness, and good fortune.
Pillars of Fortune
Artist： Lyu Yue（Aluna）, Zhang Gang, Wang Xinyuan, Huang Siyun
Date：2023
Material：Stone Pillar Base，Metal, Plastic Bead，Tie-dyed Fabric
Plant Dye Material: Indigo
Size: Height: 5m, Width: 4m
Location: Lotus Pool Side, Dyeing Workshop, Dongli Village, China
The passing of history may be void and no longer touchable, but the stone pillar bases left behind are still existing. Tie-dyed fabric replaces the dissipated wooden pillars. The molding at the top of the metal stand, the hardened ground platform, and the beadings that dangle from the edges of the fabric columns, are all in the four-leaf clover shape, also reflecting the theme. Fortune has never been absent in the long history and has always been with the generations.
Work of Liang Li and Team
Maze
Artist: Liang Li, Zhang Liwen, Liang Xiwen
Material: Cotton Gauze, Metal Stick
Plant Dye Material: Black Tea, Rust Water
Location: Craft Island Entrance, Dongli Village, China
"The world is a big maze." The maze is an engaging space where some people get trapped, some look for an exit, some stagnate, and some keep walking. In the maze, one can't tell where the start and the end is, and one can't see what's near and what's far. In the maze of translucent fabric enclosures, people can see each other, but may not be able to reach each other. By applying different dyes, Maze uses tea-dyed fabrics with two different colors, reddish brown and grey. Because of the characteristics of plant dyeing, there are some subtle color differences between fabrics of the same color, which will fade under the influence of the outdoor environment and continue to have color changes. Things that change are alive.
The space enclosed by the translucent cotton gauze will have different light and shadow changes in different time periods, and the shadow of the surrounding environment is reflected on the cotton gauze, which enriches the visual experience. People walking through the maze make the space flow, people are constantly changing their viewing angle as they walk around, and the scenery changes with each step. A maze can also be an organized and guided path that seems to have many intersections to choose from, when in fact the end is inevitable by chance, just like the trajectory of our lives.
Works of Luo Ying and Team
Across
Artist: Luo Ying, Zhao Yuanfang, Zhang Xinru, Gong Daihong, Cheng Qi, Chen Lijian
Material: Silk Organza, Wood
Plant Dye Material: Indigo, Amur Corktree, Hematoxylin, Madder, Haematoxylum Campechianum, etc.
Location: Village Entrance Building Group，Dongli Village, China
Q
i,
Artist : Luo Ying , Gong Daihong , Zhang Xinru , Chen
When entering Dongli Village, viewers can sense quiet and simplicity of the building group: gray bricks and narrow alleys of the ancient building and the complex design of the layering eaves, all express and elegance and profoundness of the architecture. The green mountains, blue sky and rainbow coming out from silhouette of the solemn high walls and narrow alleys are the inspiration for this work. Using numerous dyeing materials from plant to make 12 colors, such as "red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple", arranging these colorful strips into a variety of warm and cold effects, and taking the ridge of the ancient wall as the background, diagonally fixing of the colorful and staggered radial lines. The visual collision between the quiet gray and bright color also brings infinite reverie and a longing for the unknown future.
g Qi , Wang Xueqi
Empty
Artist: Luo Ying, Gong Daihong , Zhang Xinru , Cheng Qi , Wang Xueqi
Material: Ramie Grass Cloth, Bamboo Chip, Copper Wire
Plant Dye Material: Persimmon
Location: Grinding Pavilion, Craft Island Entrance, Dongli Village, China
By applying the color of persimmon-dyed bamboo rafts and ramie grass cloth, the tension presented by the bamboo rafts expresses the strong, free-spirited lines, and the rough texture echoes with the grinding pavilion in terms of texture and visual language, revealing the different states from reality to emptiness.
02 Process Record of The IFAN Artists in Artist Residency Creation Program
In addition, one of the highlights of Artist Residency Creation Program is "Artist- Artisan Face to Face": in the co-creation process of Dongli artisans, artists and the public, new ways of observing, perceiving, and communicating provided a refreshing perspective and energy to the residency art creations.
In the intangible heritage workshops of Dongli Village, such as iron workshop, dyeing workshop, tea house, and bamboo weaving workshop, the artists and the local artisans exchanged ideas with each other; scrutinized every detail of the process of creation and production, the materials used, and the way of display; together they cooperated to solve every difficulty encountered. They felt the fresh vitality brought to contemporary art by the culture of plant dyeing and intangible heritage handicrafts. At the same time, the pioneering forms of art creation also give more emotional meaning to cultural inheritance.
Working Process of Artist Lyu Yue (Aluna) and Team
The Initial digital modeling and rendering work for residency art creation, as well as work allocation and daily updated time management records during project execution.
The resident works attract numerous natural beings as if establishing a dialog and order between human society and natural society, artifacts and natural life, modern craftsmanship and original simplicity.
The plant-dye co-creation of IFAN artists, in the picture the artists were blue-dyeing fabrics.
Due to the uncertainties of weather and human resources, the team practiced flexible working hours, polishing each piece while at the same time taking care of the progress of all the works. During the most time-critical stage, the residency artists and the exhibition team still worked late into the night.
The team members were busy moving from venue to venue during the day and spent their free time in the evenings organizing materials, holding meetings, and scheduling future work.
The antique objects in the ancient village in various forms have also become elements of secondary creation in the art works.
On the opening ceremony day, Dongli Village hosted a long-table banquet. The artists and exhibition team actively experienced the rich rural folk cultural life.
Working Process of Artist Liang Li and Team
Working Process of Artist Luo Ying and Team
03 China·Guilin·Dongli The 2nd Plant Dye Art Field and Brand Conference--- IFAN Artists and Teams
At that time, passion, ideals, and efforts were intertwined in the vastness of the mountains and forests, in the gurgling water, and in laughter, writing about the comfort and healing of the symbiosis of human beings, nature and art. In China·Guilin·Dongli The 2nd Plant Dye Art Field and Brand Conference, the large number of participating artists and works, the special environmental conditions for creation and production, and the uncertainties of the local geography, climate, logistics, living habits, and work rhythm invariably brought many challenges.
The participating artists and teams from IFAN attached great importance to this precious opportunity, utilizing their own high-level, high-quality expertise in the art of plant dyeing, and actively integrating natural landscapes, rural humanities, technology, and excellent traditional Chinese culture, to present the unique advantages of the internationalization, inheritance, and re-innovation of cultural resources.
In the creation process, the participating artists and teams fully expressed their imagination, creativity, and cohesion. The artists organized a clear division of labor, the implementation of efficient execution and time management skills ensured the smooth landing of the work, the quality and quantity of the completion of the work. In the daily life, the artists united their hearts to take care of and encourage each other, and actively integrated into the local culture and customs.
China·Guilin·Dongli The 2nd Plant Dye Art Field and Brand Conference will run from July 20th to August 20th, 2023, and the land art works from Artist Residency Creation Program will be open to the public as permanent exhibits. IFAN, as the international cooperation unit of this event, will also continue to pay attention to the construction and development of art in countryside, and make effort to build an internationalized and high-quality platform for the enhancement and exchanges of fashion artists and enthusiasts, to write a new chapter for the sustainable development of China's traditional culture and future innovation.
China·Guilin·Dongli The 2nd Plant Dye Art Field and Brand Conference
List of Participating Artists & Team Members
IFAN Artistic Director:
Lyu Yue (Aluna)
Founder and Academic Leader of Fashion Designer Major, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, Central Academy of Fine Arts
Director, Fashion Art Research Center, Central Academy of Fine Arts
Plant Dye Art Field Joint Chief Curator:
Luo Ying
Associate Dean of the Art Design College, Shenzhen University
IFAN Overall Planning and Organization:
Liu Xiao（Livia）
Deputy Secretary General, IFAN
IFAN Residency Artists (Land Art):
Lyu Yue (Aluna), Luo Ying, Liang Li, Zhang Gang, Liu Xin, Huang Siyun, Wang Xinyuan
IFAN Participating Artists (Static Exhibition):
Luo Ying, Wang Zhihui, Wang Yue, Liu Jun, Chen Yanlin, Liang Zhiyin, Xiong Yi, Qing Yan, Song Shuang, Du Yaxi, Zhang Huanxia, Chen Huaxiao, Ma Hong, Shi Lili, Cai Jiapeng, Liu Xin, Du Shanhu, Kang Lili, Du Ruoyu, Yuan Yan
Exhibition Team:
Lyu Yue (Aluna), Luo Ying, Liang Li, Zhang Gang, Liu Xin, Huang Siyun, Wang Xinyuan, Yang Yanqiu, Zhao Yuanfang, Wang Xueqi, Cheng Qi, Zhang Xinru, Gong Daihong, Chen Lijian, Liu Xiao, Luo Jie, He Ran, Cai Jiapeng, Bao Yiwen, Qing Yan, Xiong Yi, Du Ruoyu
