Through a friend’s introduction, we met a brand manager at Li Ning, and through our conversation we thought we could experiment with clothing combined with Hunan embroidery.
Content of cooperation projects
Li Ning basketball jacket design
The design is from Li Ning
In addition to the use of Hunan embroidery in our products, we also hope to pick up some footage of embroiderers and material that can be used later on by both Li Ning and then Red Hunan Embroidery to better introduce Hunan and Hunan embroidery to consumers.
Steps of cooperation: design finalisation – sample development – sample testing – contract signing – order placement – production
The company says that due to the current schedule of embroiderers, it is expected to start receiving production in December. Li Ning said that they would first make 4-5 pieces to see the effect of the samples.
Over the past two days I have sent my research questions to two experts seeking their views and opinions and I wanted to know if my research questions were a clear indication of the changes I wanted to see and the problems I wanted to solve. These two experts are an embroidery researcher at the Hunan Museum and an owner in the embroidery industry.
Evidence of conversations with embroidery company ownersEvidence of conversations with an embroidery researcher at Hunan museum
Based on the feedback from these two experts, they said it was difficult to catch what I was trying to say when they saw my research questions. Not sure what I was asking.
This researcher indicated that she did not know how to understand that enhancing the value of the craft in China. According to her understanding, creative exploration is equivalent to innovation, but the essence of innovation is to preserve the essence of these traditional crafts before innovating. For example, the essence and characteristics of Hunan embroidery is the Mao stitch, if this characteristic innovation is lost then it will lose its meaning. In other words, it is important to keep the tradition and break the mould.
She says that now in China, many of the younger generation of embroidery inheritors are instead helping to destroy the best part of this traditional craft – the stitich. For example, the flat stitch is the most common stitch in all traditional Chinese embroidery, but many inheritors of Xiang, Su and Sichuan embroidery now use it to represent their own embroidery, which is clearly a loss of the unique character of their own embroidery. How can you talk about innovation when the essence is not captured by the inheritors? How can you say you have inherited it?
Through this exchange I also learnt about innovative ideas for the development of traditional techniques such as embroidery, including the fact that the inheritors of these traditional embroidery have not learnt and understood the essence and nature of embroidery from different regions (stitching) very well.
She also suggested that my research question might contain two issues: firstly, how creative exploration can enhance the status and profile of embroidery craftsmen, and secondly, how their enhanced profile and status can lead to the development of embroidery heritage in China.
However, I took into account the the development of this whole industry, and not singularly to the practitioner. After our exchanges and discussions, my research question was again established: How can the creative exploration in traditional Chinese embroidery help the industry find creative approachs that keeps up with the times and promote the diversification of its traditional craft values in China?
# AC Knowledge # AC Enquiry # AC Communication # AC Process
As David and I talked more deeply, my research questions were evaluated.
Research question: How can creative exploration in traditional Chinese embroidery help to elevate the perception, status and profile of practitioners to raise the value of their craft in China?
Questions from David:Design output? Creative education in embroidery training – to produce better commercial ideas? Collaboration with brands? Covert embroiders to artsist? Research: William Morris arts and crafts movement in the UK Harris Tweed
Report criteria: Introduction (what why how)/ methodology (about how pri/sec/ what’s your biases)/ findings(biggest part include difficulty, what went wrong or right)/ conclusion
I had a phone call with these embroiderers this morning and asked them the following questions：
1.What is the difference in mentality or attitude between this work and the previous embroidery you all did from the prints already painted?
2. Do you all talk to each other when you’re creating? Is the working atmosphere different from before?
Evidence of the communication
When I asked these questions, the feedback from the embroiderers was positive, they said that their mood and attitude were much more relaxed this time compared to before, and they felt very free because they could do whatever they wanted, they didn’t have to think about matching the embroidery thread to the work already had drawn, they could use whatever stitches they wanted to create, and each piece had its own idea, not like the It’s not like a robot working. I was very happy to hear that. But at the same time, they also said that it was a bit stressful to complete a piece of work in the intensity of 8 hours due to the length of work required.
Looking at the feedback from this intervention, I am acutely aware that everyone is happy and at ease with a little creative freedom when they are bored with their work. According to what their factory manager told me, the atmosphere in their workshop was much more relaxed throughout the day and everyone was not as lifeless as before. I think the intervention was a success for me and for they. They were able to adjust to their mood of work a bit through the intervention, which also allowed them to relax at work and stimulate their imagination in what amounted to a degree of craft art therapy. For me, I am happy that the state of their communication with me was such that they expressed their happiness.
One embroiderer in particular said that the corn she embroidered was painted by her grandson and she did the embroidery. In this intervention, she also strengthened the bond between parent and child through her creation, and I realised that this finger art creation could also be used as a craft bridge for communication between parents, families and friends before.
I will ask each embroidery creator to comment on how their work differs from the previous ones in terms of steps and ideas, strengths and weaknesses, etc. Evidence will be recorded in the form of chat notes.
Today through a meeting with Ms Jiang Zaihong and the 7 embroiderers working at the Changsha City Hunan Embroidery Institute, I established a collaboration with JEM and the Changsha City Hunan Embroidery Institute and set up the next intervention.
Form of intervention: event-based intervention, through work with seven embroiderers, and collaboration with JEM （Jiang zaihong embroidery museum)and the Hunan Embroidery Institute in Changsha. With the theme of the warmth of the hand, the 7 embroiderers were allowed to use their imagination to embroider their own hands, which were eventually presented on canvas bags.
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties”
Erich Fromm
The canvas bags are available in limited quantities online and through the venues of these collaborators, with prices negotiable through the time they take to make them. The aim of the intervention is trying to promote innovative design-based interventions, to enhance the motivation of the embroiderers, stimulate their imagination and the atmosphere of the industry through trading, and in this way to achieve a better heritage of skills, as the best heritage comes from buying and selling. A state of tripartite gain is achieved for the embroiderer – the Institute/Museum – the buyer.
Evidence of my call records with stakeholders
The following was established：
Theme: The Temperature of the Hand (Beta)
Number of participants: 7 embroiderers （aged between 47-55 women）
Forms of intervention ：event-based intervention
Cooperation：JEM, Hunan Embroidery Institute in Changsha.
Event Duration：20 Oct 2022.
Test subjects 1: 7 embroiderers （Feedback after embroidering their own hands through the free use of their imagination）
Test subjects 2: Consumers (test why they would or would not buy this hand-embroidered canvas bag with hands)
What to do：Seven embroiderers use their imagination to embroider their own hands on canvas bags.
How to buy：Sold separately at JEM and the Changsha Institute of Hunan Embroidery.
Money sold for：The price of this canvas bag will be returned to the embroiderers with all the remaining profit after removing their corresponding labour and costs.
Step 1step 2step 3
# AC Communication # AC Enquiry # AC Knowledge # AC Process
Bibliography
Ebert, M., Hoffmann, J. D., Ivcevic, Z., Phan, C., Brackett M. A. (2015). Teaching emotion and creativity skills through art. A workshop for children. The International Journal for Creativity & Problem Solving, 25 (2), 23-35.
Potential Plus UK. 2022. Using Visual Arts to Foster Creative Thinking Skills – Potential Plus UK. [online] Available at: <https://potentialplusuk.org/index.php/2020/07/14/using-visual-arts-to-foster-creative-thinking-skills/> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
Stankiewicz, M., 1984. Self-Expression or Teacher Influence: The Shaw System of Finger-Painting. Art Education, 37(2), p.20.
Shaw, R.F. Finger painting, A perfect medium for self-expression. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1934a.
Liveyourpassion.in. 2022. Emotional & Social Benefits of Finger Painting | Live Your Passion. [online] Available at: <https://liveyourpassion.in/self-interest/art/Get-started/Emotional—Social-Benefits-of-Finger-Painting-290> [Accessed 16 October 2022].
How can I help the tranditional Chinese embroidery to embrace the technology?
How can tranditional Chinese embroidery embraces the technology?
How can traditional Chinese embroidery embraces technology-based innovation?
How can I help tranditional Chinese embroidery embraces technology-based innovation?
How can I hep trandtional Chinese embroidery industry embraces design innovation?
Based on my experience so far, I came up with these four research questions that could match my current journey and look forward to seeing what david thinks next week
Hunan embroidery is a representative of traditional craftsmanship. Manually extracting and sorting out the cultural genes of Hunan embroidery takes a lot of manpower and time, it need to adopt advanced technological ways for subsequent inheritance and development.
Today I have read two papers on the preservation and conversation of Hunan embroidery in the context of digitisation and Artificial intelligence. AI has already been used to preserve and utilise the unique stitches of Hunan embroidery, such as the excavation of historical and cultural genes, the research and establishment of a data base of Hunan embroidery stitches, the intelligent recognition of original Hunan embroidery paintings and stitch modelling, intelligent plate-making software and intelligent equipment technolog Synergy.
Pengmao stitch filling effect and physical picture (source: Hunan Normal University Hunan Embroidery Innovation and Research Centre)
On the other hand, there is also the video animation of Hunan embroidery as a display through video editing, providing a feasible path for the preservation, inheritance and innovation of Hunan embroidery culture in the digital era.
Video process editing of Can stitch (source: Hu Jing)
To sum up, regarding the way I currently want to get about the heritage and conservation of Hunan embroidery has already been done, I can consider whether to do the same in other aspects of heritage and conservation, as this direction is huge and time and energy consuming, considering the resources I currently have in the end only 1 month or so I may not have time to do the innovation. But this is a direction I can continue to dig deeper into after I graduate.
# AC Knowledge # AC Enquiry
Bibliography
Hu, J. 2019. Research on the digital conservation of Hunan embroidery hand stitching，CNKI.
Yang, L.2021. Under the Vision of Artificial Intelligence A study on the inheritance of disheveled needle, a representative gene of Hunan embroidery culture. CNKI.
For research on the traditional arts and crafts movement in China, I consulted the largest literature site in China, Zhiwang. Through my research, I found that China has not produced an Arts & Crafts movement like the British one due to the political system. In addition, in the early 20th century, the British Arts & Crafts movement was introduced directly to China through the writings, translations and articles of a number of Chinese artists, designers and cultural and artistic scholars. The introduction of these literary, artistic and cultural etc works complemented the spread and influence of the British Arts & Crafts movement in China.
Modern Chinese art and design was less influenced by the Western Arts & Crafts movement, i.e. it did not give rise to this movement, the modern design movement or trend of thought that countries such as Europe, America and Japan were influenced by.
Li jun Zheng
So can a similar movement be generated now in China? One could argue that this movement would have to be politically led, because in China only a government-led movement could really be generated on a large scale. The reasons why it is difficult to spread among the people are, firstly, limited funds, secondly, government control, thirdly, the lack of resources, etc.
# AC Knowledge
Bibliography
lu, Zq., 2014. The influence of the contemporary western arts and crafts movement the revibal of Chinese contemporary crafts. Contemporary handicraft,(01),24-31.
Zheng, Lj., 2012. Transmission and Impact of¨The Arts and Crafts Movement¨ in China in Early 20‘h Century. CSSCI, 128(5), pp.195-196.
The subject of my research question, we （How can we….). He argued that the process so far did not strong related with the subject, and it seemed like I was doing it all by myself and didn’t see where we were.
The current question does not match my current process，it need evolve.
The priority of my research question needs to be considered, whether embroidery or technology takes precedence.
The new methodology for my research question seems to be technology only, not reflected in other methods.
He currently see a combination of technology and embroidery in my project, but at this stage I need a specific purpose to be added to it, such as education, toys etc.
I need to clarify my own position in the project, what role I am to play as a pioneer, intervener, embroiderer, etc.
Based on David’s advice about my research questions, I thought I’d wait until I’d done all the interventions in UNIT 3 before I sublimated it. Under this, I’ll try as many different types of interventions as possible.
My next step will be to add a specific purpose to my current project, I will try to see if I can incorporate an educational purpose on an embroidering. As well as whether this can be achieved by making interactive embroidered toys, toys where it has to be clear why it has to be embroidered, and if it is not embroidered, whether it can work or if it can achieve the same purpose.
# AC Knowledge # AC Enquiry # AC Communication # AC Process
