Weaving the past

Location

AIRSIDENan Fung PlaceTKO PlazaThe MillsNF Impact Partners

As time goes by, the form and function of household appliances have evolved. Those that were once indispensable in life are replaced by their newer and modern counterparts. However, newer versions don’t necessarily come with better qualities. In fact, every generation strives to use their creativity and imagination to break through the limitations of technology and experiment with different materials to develop tools that can make our lives easier.

One of the things that is gradually disappearing from our lives are textiles created by local brands. Hong Kong used to be a powerhouse for the textile industry, and in the past, there were appliances made with textiles in every household. Unlike plastics, metals, and other kinds of material, textile production heavily involves manual labour. Each cotton yarn went through numerous hands during the production process bringing a sense of human touch to the final product.

CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) is a part of the heritage conservation project of The Mills in Tsuen Wan that archives and showcases the stories of Hong Kong’s textile industry in its heyday alongside contemporary art and design exhibitions. Pay a visit to The D. H. Chen Foundation Gallery, where you will get a chance to see some rich imagery and textile products from the old days and learn about the golden era of Hong Kong’s textile industry.

The recurrent interactions between humans and objects weave into the essence of life. With all the pressing challenges facing our environment nowadays, perhaps we can rediscover the resilience against change and the beauty of everyday life through the seemingly unremarkable textiles.

Textile for Food

The sophisticated and complex food culture in Hong Kong can best represent the city’s hybridity. CHAT’s new display, Textile for Food, at The D. H. Chen Foundation Gallery presents how various textile materials, technique and presentation weave into the local food culture.

Dried water plant

In the past, the sellers in the markets would use the dried stems of the water plant, Malacca Galingale, as string to tie and fasten your purchase. Whatever the shape of the purchase, the sellers could always find the perfect way to tie it. However, dried water plant has become almost obsolete nowadays with people using plastic bags instead; and what comes along with that convenience is pollution as it takes many years for plastic bags to decompose.

Cloth tea bag

Cloth bags are often used by food stalls and tea restaurants in Hong Kong as tea filter bags. Mostly made with undyed or white colored cotton ‘greige’ cloth, these bags can be used for brewing and filtering tea leaves. Tea makers usually have their own preferences over the fabric thickness, density, and feel of the tea bags.

Checkered tablecloth

Western restaurants came on the scene in post-war Hong Kong. Taking inspiration from the European bistro, local restaurateurs often placed red-and-white checkered tablecloths on the dining tables. It has become a ritual for diners to use the edges of the tablecloth as a safety barrier when the waiting staff serves that signature sizzling steak and pours the gravy over the hot iron plate.

Plain cloth

Even a piece of white cloth deserves your respect. From making tofu to rice rolls, the thin, sturdy plain cloth is of vital importance for it determines how good the food can be. Time goes by, food that was once hand-cooked is now produced via mass production and the delicate flavour created by human hands can hardly be found anymore.

‘Textile for Food’
The D. H. Chen Foundation Gallery
CHAT/MILL6 Foundation
The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street
Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

More details please visit our website.

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