29~31.03.2012 / aT Center, Seoul.KR
20 quilters, 20 art bags with 20 quilts
This time, we've chosen the compass as the title of exhibit, symbolizing a crucial connection between the sewing craft and the creation of bags. Each quilter created a bag accompanied by a quilt that expressed what travel means to her. The following is the curatorial essay of the exhibit:
Let's go on a trip. Pack your bags and don’t forget your passport. Are you worried because you don't know how to get there? Stop worrying and just enter the address into the GPS, and satellites and the internet will take care of the rest.
While e-books became a reality and people started saying the era of paper books was over, Umberto Eco was certain that would never happen. He used the example of a spoon to illustrate his point. In museums, you can see spoons used thousands of years ago, and while the materials and decorations may have changed, the form and function remain largely the same as the spoons we use today. Eco argued that books, too, have already reached a perfect form and won't change much. Even in an era where the digital revolution is reshaping the world by the second, you can't replace something that's already perfect. The same goes for the needles we use every day. Sure, more durable, user-friendly needles that sew better might come along in the future, but no matter how much hype surrounds terms like "electronic" or "smart," they won't have much impact on a needle's basic function.
However, the compass, which was referred to as a "plate of scattered needles" in China where it was invented, has now become an obsolete object. Although the compass was invented a long time ago, it only became practical about a hundred years ago, so its lifespan wasn't very long. In that century, people used compasses to travel to every corner of the world, vastly expanding their reach and speed. The dangerous paths once traveled by explorers and monks became routes for leisure and enjoyment, and travel became a familiar concept for everyone, not just a privilege for a select few. Even so, when asked what they would do if they suddenly came into a large sum of money, the most common answer is still "travel," suggesting that the subconscious desire to explore new and unfamiliar places is deeply rooted in people's minds.
The instinct to go where the needle points—some might call it the spirit of adventure, while others might mock it as a wandering soul. But without it, people would have lived as their parents did, never venturing beyond the lands they knew. Revolutionary inventions might never have come about, and sewing, too, would have remained a mere laborious task to produce clothes and household items, rather than evolving into a hobby that brings joy.
So, where is your needle pointing now?
The display emphasized the perspective of how these bags might appear when carried or left behind in everyday settings. The catalog itself was passport-sized, featuring famous travel quotes such as Henry Miller's "One's destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things," printed against quilt block backgrounds on each page.
留言