The Withering Flower Printed Textile by Angela Tsai Jung Chiang |
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| DESIGN NAME: The Withering Flower PRIMARY FUNCTION: Printed Textile INSPIRATION: The Withering Flower collection is inspired by the power of the flower image, its impact both visually and symbolically in Oriental setting. From the flower’s precise metaphor in classical Chinese literature, The Dream of the Red Chamber, which simultaneously reflects the women living in a feudal society in the stories; to the extend of how the flowers are interpreted in fengshui as well as gifting etiquette, I was vividly drawn to the Oriental world of defining the flower visuals. UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Withering Flower collection developed a series of silk screen printed fabrics and dresses. Each dress is length 2 meters long of sheer nets, composed of flower motifs with specific meaning according to its symbolism in Chinese literature. The textile printing technique enabled the binders to stay opaque, flexible, and waterproof on stretchy yet see-through nets, creating an illusion of prints floating in the air as well as tattoos on the skin when the dress is worn against the body. OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The collection's hand printed textiles are stretchy, waterproof, and remained opaque on sheer net fabrics, creating an illusion of glossy stickers floating in the air. Unlike digital sublimation printing on sheer fabrics whereas the patterns are blended into the material yet making them semi-see through, this textile collection developed a screen printing technique to keep the opaqueness and vibrancy of the prints staying securely on top of the fabric surface. PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in January 2016 in London UK, and finished in April 2016. It was exhibited at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design as my graduation collection show for BA Degree in Fashion Design. |
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Silk screen printing on stretchy and see-through nets. By specific mixture of textile binder ratios to achieve the stickiness and opaqueness that the prints would secure onto the fabric surface. After silk screen printing, the fabrics are sent into baking and steaming for colour vibrancy as well as further locking the binders onto the fabrics. SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Long dress's dimension: W 450mm x L 2000mm Short dress's dimension: W 450mm x L1300mm TAGS: Textile, Fashion, Fabric, Flower, Screen Printing, Innovative Textile, Central Saint Martins, RESEARCH ABSTRACT: The research for The Withering Flower collection began with studying the Chinese Literature classic, The Dream of the Red Chamber, a novel by Cao Xueqin, originally published in 1791 in China, later adapted and translated to English in 1987. My research on the flower image, especially the symbolic decaying flower image in Oriental settings further developed from studying the female protagonist's epiphany, whereas the character sings, The Song of the Flower Burial, during chapter 27 in The Dream of the Red Chamber. The fallen and decayed petals beautifully yet melancholically symbolized the female protagonist’s struggle and sorrow in an oppressed feudal aristocrat society. As the flower is a common subject for personification in Chinese literature and poetry, the meaning each flower embodies, or given by the writer and poet, is derived from its cultural and historic values. By first examining flower representation in Chinese cultural settings through literature works, I learnt about the principles of flower symbolism is to primarily promote good luck and well-being. And yet, the heritage-rich knowledge in measuring good fortune resulted in the study of fengshui, and it still retains its significant influence over Asian countries. There is a myth in Chinese tradition that people subconsciously desire to surround their presence with things that resemble fortune in literature meanings. Therefore the subject of a decaying flower is perceived as misfortune and taboo, in contrary to the blooming flower's meaning in longevity and prosperity. Another example, in Chinese culture the white chrysanthemum is the flower for funeral, and would be considered as a jinx if given on a normal occasion. The number 4 has the same pronunciation as death, and is avoided at hotel and apartment's unit number, even hospital would exclude the fourth floor at flooring plan, yet skipping from third floor directly to fifth floor at building indicator maps. The number 4 is as well a bad-luck number at giving out gifts, flowers, or the amount of red envelope money at Chinese new year. The dead flower on the body leads to taboos about mortality and loss, as even the slightest sight of a vase of decaying flower is seen as an abject, and to be avoided in Chinese culture and custom. The dilemma I experienced around the cultural responses over the withering flower inspired me to analyze the traditions and paradigms that are shaping our aesthetics. CHALLENGE: The research challenge appeared when I started reading Chinese literature classics, yet to organize the literary references in order to strengthen the point in the withering flower as an abject. Yet we know the decaying things meant bad luck in fengshui, but why? The misfortune and dead are an avoided subject which I was taught since childhood. But what is shaping my instinctive judgement that withering matters repel us? Is it the knowledge passed down from my parents, or their parents, or the ancestors before them? Since when and how are our immediate responses to certain subjects are formed? Is the common sense formed in generation of cultures, through written records, spoken languages, families' upbringings that the idea of death equals taboo. The design and execution challenge is the most struggling during the making of the textiles. Getting the right ratio for the print binder has failed several times, the paste was either too light to stay on top of the fabrics, or too heavy that the fabrics became sticky and unwearable. After many efforts on print binder ratio testing, steaming temperature experiments, baking process, and checking washability, finally came out an adequate measure that securely locked the opaque print on see-through net fabrics, and at the same time retained the glossy appearance, flexibility, waterproof qualities. ADDED DATE: 2019-12-10 11:10:26 TEAM MEMBERS (1) : IMAGE CREDITS: Image #1: Photographer Yi Tuo/ Lookbook Stylist Zipeng Li, The Withering Flower, 2016. Image #2: Photographer Yi Tuo/ Lookbook Stylist Zipeng Li, The Withering Flower, 2016. Image #3: Photographer Yi Tuo/ Lookbook Stylist Zipeng Li, The Withering Flower, 2016. PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Copyrights belong to Angela Chiang, 2020. |
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| Visit the following page to learn more: https://www.angelachiang.com/Work/the-wi |
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NAME: Angela Chiang PROFILE: Angela Tsai-Jung Chiang, Taipei City based independent visual artist and fashion designer. She holds a Honours Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design. Angela's 2016 graduate collection at Central Saint Martins devoted in languages of Oriental floral symbolism. Her graduate collection of screen printing and translucent patterns inspired her following years' research in recreating Chinese historical patterns via contemporary IP library system. In 2017, she collaborated with Shinehouse Theatre to design costume collections and unique patterns inspired by each character's symbolism in the story. The performance "The Third Episode of Armageddon" took place in Taiwan's National Experimental Theatre. Angela worked on bringing Romanticism and Maximalism into the performance through abundant layering of sheer printed florals. In 2018, she again collaborated with Shinehouse Theatre, performing the novel, "YUKOKU", by Mishima Yukio, taking place in Taiwan Traditional Theatre. The costume and pattern collection designed only in cyan and magenta colours, hand illustrated florals as metaphors to the brutal deconstruction on exquisitely subtle sentiments. In 2018, Angela designed an exclusive collection of Malaysian textile inspired uniform and pattern for ibis hotels in Kuala Lumpur City Centre. Joining Malaysia's national flower "Hibiscus" and the geometrical elements in traditional Malaysian Batiks, the heritage embraced design further aspired Angela to forward her research in Oriental pattern IP system. In 2019, Angela works in collaboration with Pumpkin Creative Inc. Together the two business partners create Jung's Wardrobe, an original character IP brand. Angela currently works across visual art, fashion, illustrations and pattern designs. In addition to her designworks, she is currently working on building her label of patterns, intimately inspired by the floral in her memories, and her love for the flower symbolism in Oriental literature. |
| AWARD DETAILS | |
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The Withering Flower Printed Textile by Angela Tsai Jung Chiang is Winner in Textile, Fabric, Textures, Patterns and Cloth Design Category, 2019 - 2020.· Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Angela Tsai Jung Chiang. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Angela Tsai Jung Chiang. |
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