CHAT Winter Programme 2022
CHAT, Hongkong
29.10.2022 – 05.02.2023

CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) is proud to present a series of exhibitions and displays under its Winter Programme 2022, respectively titled Absolute Blue: BUAISOU Works with Japanese Natural Indigo,  Seed to Textile, and ‘Patternways: Visualising Hong Kong in Transition’. Absolute Blue is the first comprehensive exhibition to introduce the works by BUAISOU, a young craft collective working with Japanese natural indigo. The exhibition will feature immersive installations of BUAISOU’s indigo works and introduce their unique farm-to-closet practices and innovative techniques through a display of their dyed works, tools and recreated studio space.

 

Infusing Traditional Japanese Craftsmanship with Contemporary Aesthetic

Based in Tokushima, Japan’s largest producer of traditional indigo dye, BUAISOU pursues the craft of Japanese natural indigo dye through traditional fermentation methods. From cultivating, processing and fermenting indigo, to dyeing, most of their production procedures are performed manually using traditional methods.

While upholding the revered traditions of the centuries-old craft, BUAISOU has pushed the boundaries of Japanese natural indigo dyeing beyond textiles to furniture items like stools. Effectively transforming this time-honoured craft, BUAISOU communicates with contemporary audiences through diverse collaborations with international brands and designers from Jimmy Choo, Tory Burch, NIKE, to Artek and more. In particular, Hong Kong audiences will be able to view their cross-industry collaborative works with Jimmy Choo and NIKE in person.

 

Sustainability as the Backbone of Winter Programme

This exhibition will highlight BUAISOU’s unique working model and ethical production. The remarkable shades of BUAISOU indigo blue is achieved through natural fermentation processes, without the use of industrial chemicals. Material recycling is a key feature of their practice from their tools, which are customised and handmade, to the studio they work in.

Aside from our seasonal programme exhibition, CHAT will be showcasing the research and artistic results of our long-running programme Seed to Textiles. With its roots in 2019, the Seed to Textile project brings together an environmentally conscious community to cultivate and dye with locally grown indigo. Visitors to the Winter Programme will be able to view the results of the collaborative artistic explorations by Breakthrough Art Studio, Eastman Cheng, Elizabeth Briel and Hao Lap Yan Benjamin, Ma Wing Man, our community partners and the general public.

 

CHAT, With, For and By the Community

As with many of CHAT’s programmes, the general public are invited to personally take part in the exhibition and the many affiliated workshops of the programme. A large-scale installation of indigo-dyed fabrics will transform The Hall of The Mills and immerse visitors into a lush textile landscape with swarths of blue-green fabrics spanning across the pillars. In CHAT’s gallery on the second floor, not only will visitors see a 1:1 recreation of the design studio, a visually striking work consisting of more than 70 indigo-dyed ropes also awaits their interaction. A range of hands-on workshops will be hosted throughout the season for visitors to take part in the transformative action of indigo dyeing.

From 9 October, the thematic display at The D. H. Chen Foundation Gallery will be renewed to ‘Patternways: Visualising Hong Kong in Transition’. Featuring 4 patterns found in Hong Kong, from department store wrapping paper, transnational silks, designer knits, to the lesser known but vibrant and historically rich wax print fabrics, the display spotlights patterns in their design and context. Through an in-depth look into this resonating application of textile, the display will guide audiences through the myriad patterns found in daily life. Bruce Li, the curator of the exhibition, says, ‘The exhibition display investigates each pattern as a designed product and the way they are circulated, and in the process, they connect Hong Kong with mainland China, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, all the way to Ghana and Nigeria. By connecting us with other places, patterns reveal Hong Kong as a city constantly open to and defined by change.’  

Takahashi Mizuki, Executive Director and Chief Curator of CHAT, says, ‘I am delighted to showcase BUAISOU’s inspiring and innovative contemporary Japanese indigo works to Hong Kong audiences. Through this exhibition, we invite visitors to reflect on the value of labour woven into the familiar textiles we use daily. In Seed to Textile, we unveil the outcomes of co-creation by Hong Kong artists and communities, made throughout CHAT’s past summer season. The annual changeover of The D. H. Chen Foundation Gallery display will present undiscovered stories of textiles found in Hong Kong. I am confident that this exciting set of exhibitions will definitely stimulate our visitors’ curiosity!’

 

Exhibitions Details:

Title:	Absolute Blue: BUAISOU Works with Japanese Natural Indigo
Date:	29 October 2022 – 5 February 2023
Opening Hours:	11:00am-7:00pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Venue:	CHAT, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

 

Title:	Special Display: CHAT at The Mills
Date:	29 October – 27 November 2022
Opening Hours:	10:00am-10:00pm
Venue:	The Hall, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

 

Title:	Seed to Textile
Date:	29 October 2022 – 5 February 2023
Opening Hours:	11:00am-7:00pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Venue:	CHAT, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

 

Title:	‘Patternways: Visualising Hong Kong in Transition’
Opening Date:	9 October 2022 (On display until end of 2023)
Opening Hours:	11:00am-7:00pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Venue:	CHAT, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong

 

More information: www.mill6chat.org/current-exhibitions/current-upcoming