20*70cm | Metallic Yarn | 2024

“Growing” is a verb, a statute of extension. It represents an unstoppable movement; a random time point with no beginning or end. We can envision what growth looks like from the outset and in the future. The sculpture is an abstract symbol of this specific stage. It extends upwards and repeats itself in an organic shape, expressing the energy and the power of growing. 

The technique of water-soluble embroidery allows the embroidery to be separated from the attached fabric and maximize its independent display from two-dimensional to three-dimensional. The seamless connection of the embroidered pieces grants the embroidery functionality and unique texture. The uncertainty behind the process of dissolving - the shape changes after it. It is the part which provides the space for the artist to design the organic structure with a confirmed shape. I  call it “let the textiles shape themselves”, as “they” may be better than the artist, me. The soft sculpture GROWING is an example of this exploration.

Instead of the traditional method of creation, designing first and making after, I planned half of the work at the beginning, followed by the dissolving process let the textile curl naturally. I kept going with the embroidery following its shape to obtain the best structure. As the creator of the work, I have the initial draft of it, but I could not tell what the final result would look like. Like plants growing in nature, we know what a specific species looks like, but no two plants are ever the same. They are differentiated by humidity, temperature and soil. After I finished a part of it, I let it dry and shape itself. I continued based on the existing natural structure like a flower coming out of a plant and then grew more in the same pattern. 

“Is it the art being shaped, or am I the one being shaped by the art?” 

During the experiment, It was not easy to describe, however, I felt I completed the embroidered sculpture with she/he/it together and she/he/it led me to the final outcome.