Treating garments as taxidermy documenting the past
–an experience rendered through the lens of subjectivity– with the process exploring through the struggle between preserving the past and moving forward, this project wishes to evoke a present tense experience of memory.
Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Caterpillar fungus) is a type of fungus with the appearance in between a worm and a plant. Before the larva of the Batmoth turns into a healthy pupae, it gets infected by a fungus, and eventually transforms into a mummified form with the head of a fungus and the body of a worm. its frozen form remiscent of its past. In this collection, OPHIOCORDYCEPS serves as a symbolism of the struggle within the transformation.
OPHIOCORDYCEPS is also reminiscent for me as part of my childhood. The fungus is usually used in traditional Chinese medicine, as it is believed to have medical effect. I remembered when I was young, looking at the caterpillar fungus in the soup my mum made and wondering if it’s a bug or a plant. The silhouette of this collection took reference from the evolution and transformation of Qipao, a traditional chinese garment that kept evolving from Qing dynasty to Minguo(1920s~1950s).
