Buqing Chen

I am inspired by the ancient Chinese philosophy that everything in the world is made up of five elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. In this unit, I continue to extend the theme by focusing on the relationship between the elements of water and wood. In Chinese philosophy, trees also represent time and life. I found that after a wet and rainy season, multiple layers of irregular moss formed on the branches of the trees, and this texture appealed to me. I took photos of different trees and then showed this texture by combining different materials.

I worked on a combination of printing and embroidery. I first extracted the moss left on the trees after the rain and combined it with pictures of water. I used green colour to represent wood and black for water. I combined traditional Chinese knot stitches and punch stitches on printed fabrics to express the texture of these elements.

Buqing Chen is a mixed media student. Her work is inspired by traditional Chinese philosophical thought. She works on the combination of different new materials because she believes that what can bring innovation to the textile industry must be an interdisciplinary experiment. As a member of Generation Z, we live in a world of cutting-edge and innovative technology. Information is easily accessible, and social media is becoming increasingly popular. As a result, Generation Z has a broader view of the world. In the future, our society will be more inclusive, so integrating multiple cultures and technologies is necessary. Buqing Chen will stick to her ideas and continue delving into new ways of presenting traditional culture.