The Fire Surround

Exhibition 16 May - 12 June 2025

This costume work, The Mourning 《哀。渡》, marks the start of my creative journey in a series called The Fire Surround. A century-old Edwardian silk coat and Victorian moiré taffeta jackets were meticulously altered into a dramatic mourning costume inspired by the world’s atrocities. The transformation incorporated intricate hand-crafted details with ink treatments symbolising collective grief and human perseverance. The coat’s back features a modified nightdress for a child serving as a poignant reminder of responsibility towards the future amidst adversity. Working with fragile materials during the meditative crafting process fosters a sense of shared humanity.

The garments were adorned with century-old embellishments crafted from paper, fabric and glass. Xuan paper was inked and hand-shaped into flowers while broken glass pieces were incorporated among the old jet beads and trimmings. A large lapel flower was papier-mâché and a small silk flower was made from remnants of Victorian parasols. Both sleeves were decorated with inked paper garlands representing empty cooking pots from wartime. At the back an old baby gown was burnt and adorned with hand-treated elements. The materiality conveyed the unspoken emotions of mourning into vibrant energy.

On the side, there’s a self-portrait of me in the mourning coat, symbolising human perseverance. I look up, experiencing a moment of transition or elevation. This exhibition was self-organised, curated and presented in an unoccupied shop on Caine Road, Mid Levels in Hong Kong.

MAKING PROCESS

Documentation: Making of "The Mourning" - Part 1 - Beginning

In mid 2023, I acquired a beautiful Edwardian black silk coat and two black moire taffeta jackets from the Victorian era in the UK. Victorian mourning, dating back to the late 1800s, originated with Queen Victoria’s black crepe, jet and onyx garments. These set a Western precedent for mourning attire.

The century-old garment’s fabric is worn and damaged, with shattered patches, split shoulder seams, torn trimmings and missing jet beads. Despite its condition, it’s a beautiful social and personal artefact.

As I touched the fabric, a vision of a mythical bird consumed by fire yet rising from its ashes filled my mind. I already imagined myself wearing the coat and gazing upwards even before I started crafting it into my version of a mourning costume.

Amidst global geopolitical conflicts and unfolding atrocities, I embarked on a makeover. This reality, coupled with the suffering I witnessed, inspired me to transform the coat. It resonated with my empathy for collective grief and explored expressions of humility and human perseverance.

Making of "The Mourning" - Part 2 - Waistcoat

I began working on the Victorian jackets. I repaired some splits and damage as they were quite worn and fragile. The sleeves and back were removed from one jacket to allow for later reuse. I decided to transform it into a waistcoat, the first layer under the coat, which I’d work on next.

My aim was to shift the traditional mourning posture from a quiet dismissive stance to a dramatic expression of emotion on the black fabric, incorporating intricate details and textures.

I prepared the jacket with various decorations. I began by drawing ink on Xuan paper and shaping it into flowers, then sewing them with jet beads onto the taffeta, which was prepared with old netted white dollies treated with Chinese ink to deepen the visual impression. I also added small flowers crafted from remnants of black rubbish bags, masking tape and other discarded materials. The repetitive process of drawing sculpting and sewing was a fascinating creative experience. I’ll delve deeper into this in my next coat-making post.

Making of "The Mourning" - Part 3 - Old and New

Inside, a sense of disarray and destruction permeated the space. My work consisted of contemporary pieces carefully placed among a hundred-year-old collection of jet beads and trimmings. The pictures show the materials I used on the coat. The broken glass pieces are contemporary and are placed between the antique jet beads. The large flower on the lapel is papier-mâché while the small silk flower is made from remnants of a Victorian parasol. Many of the sewn embellishments are created from paper sourced from various Chinese ink drawings I prepared beforehand.

This juxtaposition inspired me to envision landscaping a “mourning garden” on the garment.  Bringing the costumes back to life was my way of reimagining and responding to the emotional quietness yet palpable intensity during times of collective loss. The expression of materiality and its chemistry embarked on its own journey, empowering the language of unspoken emotions into a potent form of self-expression. Mourning is transforming into vibrant energy.

Making of "The Mourning" - Part 4 - War Child

For the war child born from fire and ashes, I transformed an antique baby gown with flames and adorned it with debris and other remnants collected over the years, such as old lace doilies, a bonnet, buttons, rusted wires and pottery shards. I have created a heavy landscape of destruction on the baby gown symbolising purity and innocence. It is placed at the back of the mourning coat as a poignant reminder of the responsibility we bear as we assume the weight of the child’s future in the face of adversity and calamities.

Both sleeves of the coat are decorated with paper garlands made from my ink drawings. The circular motifs of the worn and empty cooking pots symbolise pervasive famine during wars.

Working on this coat allowed me to express my emotions and channel my energy in a positive way during this challenging period, as we all go through it and feel connected through our shared grief.

Other Works

REVIEWS

All images courtesy of the artist