Wearable Art: Inspiration in Thread

By The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

The special exhibition 'Wearable Art: Inspiration in Thread' (2014-10-08/2014-12-31) by The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

Inspiration in Thread

Emphasizing the richness and historical breadth of the CEM collection, the exhibition reveals the ways that contemporary artists and designers can look to the techniques, ideas, and objects of the past to create new expressions that speak to their own time, place, and aesthetic. This dynamic pairing of the old and the new presents CEM’s historic textiles as a living collection and a valuable educational and inspirational resource for the benefit of scholars, artists, designers, and the general public alike.

The special exhibition 'Wearable Art: Inspiration in Thread' (2014-10-08/2014-12-31) by The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

CEM's cross-cultural exhibitions that combines time and space

In this exhibition, the museum’s historical textiles were introduced along with artworks of contemporary fashion designers at home and abroad who were inspired by these historical textiles. In this collection it was clearly demonstrated that the engagement of fashion with time was very important. 

Woman's Court Vest (Xiapei), Unknown, China, Qing dynasty(1644-1911), From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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rough sketches, Dahea Sun, 2016/2016, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Artist recreated xiapi, a ceremonial vest for Qing noble women, by connecting tube-typed circular units.

Tube Series, Dahea Sun, 2016/2016, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Tube Series_detail (2016/2016) by Dahea Sun The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

Tube units of loose circles are pliable and can change their forms. Artist connected all these units to represent a modern xiapi.

The special exhibition 'Threads of splendor' (2016-10-06/2016-12-30) by The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

Miao 'Hundred Bird Coat', Unknown, China, Guizhou province, Early 20th century, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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rough sketches, Yeryung Cho, 2016/2016, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Artist reinterpreted the beautiful antique Miao costume on tyvek. Tyvek is a new material made of polyethylene. It is durable, light, eco-friendly and easy to express natural and pliable texture.

More Than, Yeryung Cho, 2016/2016, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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The special exhibition 'Threads of splendor' (2016-10-06/2016-12-30) by The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

To make the textile look old, and covered with the traces of time, artist used an unusual technique, as good as creating a new texture - she burned some holes on the material. On the front, she made decorations with silver and bronze threads to represent the beauty of old Miao costume. At the bottom, she hung tassels made of the same material.

rough sketches, Sienna Martz, 2016/2016, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Artist paid special attention to the straps of bojagi that covered wooden geese during the wedding ceremony.

Subo Straps, Sienna Martz, 2016/2016, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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The special exhibition 'Threads of splendor' (2016-10-06/2016-12-30) by The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

Artist enlarged straps that were hanging around bojagi. She borrowed the form and patterns from bojagi straps, but used vinyl cotton cloth and acrylic threads, enlarged the size, and colored them. Now, an abstract piece was created.

First Rank Civil Official's Insignia with Double Cranes, unknown, China Ming dynasty(1368–1644), From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Cell2016-08, Young Soon Her, 2016/2016, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Diamond-shaped motifs are connected by rings and stitches and expand to form a long and short-sleeved robe.

Cell2016-08_detail (2016/2016) by Young Soon Her The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

In the artwork of artist, the pattern of a pair of cranes was simplified and repeated throughout the whole piece like cell division.

Woman's Court Vest (Xiapei) (China, Qing dynasty(1644-1911)) by Unknown The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

Historical Textiles

What is interesting, the wave patterns at the bottom of yongpo as well as on rank badges are diverse. Some are expressed as diagonal lines or called standing wave (立水), and some are overlapping semi-circles that signify calm and silent wave or called lying wave (臥水). And there are also curled one at the ends of the other waves (浪水).

Red Uchikake Embroidered with Cranes, Turtles, Pine Branches, and Plum Blossoms, unknown, Japan Edo period, 19th century, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Twelve-symbol Semiformal Robe Worn during a Ritual for Rain, unknown, China Qing dynasty(1644-1911), From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Birthday Ceremonial Robe Embroidered with Long Life Characters in Couched Gold Thread, Unknown, China, Qing dynasty, 19th century, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Flow (2016/2016) by Hee Eun Cho The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

Modern Design

Artist used paper to reproduce wave patterns at the bottom of yongpo in vivid color and soft material. In her <flow> artist turned these ever-changing waves on a flat surface into dimensional waves that give different looks according to where they are viewed. 

Flesh Kimono, Jon Eric Riis, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Red U-chi-ka-ke was Japanese wedding dress and was embroidered with luckiness image meaning long life on the base of red. This work of Kimono shape by artist used muscles of human body as epidermis and applied it into tapestry.

Emperor’s Robe to G-Star Jumpsuit, Aram Han, 2016/2016, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Artist incorporated the patterns of yongpo (royal ceremonial robe) into modern design. The ends of the jumpsuit were decorated with modified images of Chinese characters, which are the same patterns we find at the bottom of yongpo. Artist used all embroidery techniques yongpo used, but rearranged the design by skipping some of them.

Wishes of May, Byung Sun Min, 2016/2016, From the collection of: The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum
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Embroidered coat for older women (百壽文袍) was made by embroidering the Chinese character longevity (壽) in different forms with gold thread using couching stitch on black satin. Artist used gold metal thread and glossy rayon or silk to represent the unique color on the coat. Artist expressed her affection for life, in particular, with the red color that comes through her artwork.

Wishes of May_detail (2016/2016) by Byung Sun Min The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

The special exhibition 'Wearable Art: Inspiration in Thread' (2014-10-08/2014-12-31) by The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

From Historical Textiles to Modern Design

Xiapi was a vest of a formal robe in Qing dynasty in China. John Riis copied the shape of harpy and recreated it into tapestry. Quilt artist Kim Mi-Sik quilted her work using old Korean traditional cloth pieces on the base of the original form of Xiapi. left: Kim Misik, , 2014 middle: xiapi, Qing dynasty in the 19th century right: Jon Eric Riis, <princes> 

Threads of splendor: 천자만홍(千紫萬紅)을 짓다 (2016-10-06/2016-12-30) by The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

The front view of Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University (2004) by The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum

Credits: Story

The Chung Young Yang Embroidery Museum, Sookmyung Women's University

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