Second skin-muff and leg wrap, 2007.Previous knitted work that I have created, has focused on skin markings and identity. My particular interest is the traditional practice of body scarification, a tactile language inscribed onto the surface of the skin that is often misunderstood due to popular Western misconceptions and negative connotations. Within this work, body scarring has been utilised in conjunction with knitting as a form of symbolism exploring the concepts of gender, protection and identity. In some cultures scarring signifies a ‘rite of passage’: sexual maturity, the journey from childhood to adulthood, or social acceptance. Other forms of scarification serve the purpose of tribal identification, spiritual protection, or aesthetic beautification. Previous exhibitions such as Visible Markings (Craft Victoria - 2009) and Re:skin (UTS DAB LAB-Research Gallery) appropriates patterning techniques from the tradition of scarification to place knitting at the forefront of a politics of the body.
Photography: Seung Rok Baek (seungrokphotography)
I was invited to participate in
the 2010 International Fashion Art Biennale in Seoul by the Korea Fashion and
Culture Association. Coinciding with the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War,
the hosting of the 2010 G-20 Summit, Seoul's designation as the 2010 World
Design Capital and other cultural programs, the Biennale took 'War and Peace'
as its theme. Through the medium of fashion art the broad aim was to channel
the scarring experience of war and to provide a platform for sharing,
co-existence and peace. The exhibition was held at the Hangaram Design Museum,
Seoul Arts Centre. 104 Korean and International artists participated. Inspired
by military body armour and practices of body scarification, the work created
for this exhibition, 'Pauldron', explored the three dimensional qualities of
knitting in relation to the body. A combination of techniques (tucking and
short row knitting) and a variety of materials were used. Formed on a
mannequin, the intention was to challenge perceptions of how contemporary knitting
could be applied uniquely to the body. The work took the form of a knitted
'body piece' which both cocooned and distorted areas of the body. As a designer
who works in both fashion and textiles my research interests are in
demonstrating the alternative ways in which knitting can be represented on the
human body and the diversity of new techniques that can be created. The work
explores how unconventional techniques can be used to create new body
constructions that move away from and challenge conventional garment shapes.Photography: Seung Rok Baek (seungrokphotography)
This work was produced with the support of Calcoup Knitwear for the 2011 Tamworth Textile Triennial. The work focuses on illusion and trompe l'oeil effects and imagery.
Photography: Jennifer Chua
