This yr’s China Craft Week, Hangzhou’s annual cultural pageant, was themed “Extra Than Paper,” emphasizing the worth of conventional handicrafts to the atmosphere.
China Craft Week, Hangzhou’s annual cultural pageant, has developed a platform for a various vary of native and worldwide corporations to show their artworks and creations.
Through the five-day occasion, which ended on Monday, organizers showcased inventive objects from residence and overseas in a 3,000-square-meter exhibition corridor at Hangzhou Artistic Design Middle.
The exhibition corridor’s installations and decorations have been composed of fire-resistant paper that might be reused, echoing the theme “Extra Than Paper” and decreasing carbon dioxide emissions.
Hangzhou, often known as the cradle of handicrafts in China, was declared a UNESCO Artistic Metropolis of Craft in 2012.
The town boasts an unimaginable variety of paper crafts, together with Fuyang yuanshu papermaking, Xixing paper lantern, Tonglu County paper minimize, paper fan and oil paper umbrella, amongst many others.
Through the earlier occasions, the organizers would invite previous masters of conventional folks arts, who have been struggling to draw new blood.
This yr, organizers shifted their focus to artists who’re pioneering new methods to convey conventional types, reminiscent of Liu Tong and Wen Qiuwen.
Ti Gong
Liu, a outstanding origami artist, is exhibiting his paper-folding works dedicated to animal safety, together with a paper leopard and rhinoceros.
“Origami could be accessed by the general public. Folks can simply perceive my works with none explanations,” Liu advised Shanghai Day by day. “Paper-folding crafts date again hundreds of years. Nonetheless, the craft had not innovated till the twenty first century.”
His work is constructed from a single piece of paper with out using glue or chopping unneeded elements. In recent times, Liu has tried to make animal artwork with the intention of elevating public consciousness about environmental safety.
“Folding paper is akin to defending our planet. I try to make the most of a bit of paper as a lot as attainable, simply as people rigorously study pure assets,” Liu stated.
Ti Gong
Wen is a pioneering paper sculpting artist. She has introduced her lion-head lanterns to the exhibition.
“Paper is a light-weight and adaptable materials,” stated Wen. “I take advantage of clear paper and diversified lights to create totally different expressions on the lion’s face.
“With the intention to give conventional paper lantern works extra dynamic vitality, we combine trendy interactive installations.”
Tastes change with the passage of time. Conventional crafts are not as trendy as they have been when industrial merchandise have been extensively accessible and imaginative designs have been well-liked among the many normal public. It’s largely as much as devoted craftspeople to maintain the artwork alive.
In an effort to assist protect historic workmanship, folks craftsmen have been additionally requested to show their talents on the exhibition.
Hangzhou artist Wei Lizhong has devoted 30 years to the revival of conventional watercolor woodblock printing. A multi-colored woodblock print is historically created utilizing a dozen separate strategies.
The time-consuming method incessantly necessitates months of sharpening. Woodblocks are meticulously organized as a mirror-image aid matrix, in order that the sections displaying “white” are minimize away, permitting the photographs or characters to be displayed in colour on the authentic floor stage.
Ti Gong
Cai Lun invented the pulp papermaking method in China within the 2nd century BC, which significantly superior the wheels of Chinese language civilization.
Craftspeople from Fuyang District developed Cai’s know-how and invented yuanshu papermaking strategies.
Fuyang is the birthplace of yuanshu paper, which dates again over 1,900 years.
Based on historic information, yuanshu paper grew in reputation throughout the Northern Tune Dynasty (960–1127) after it was chosen because the royal paper of Tune emperors.
Now, only one manufacturing unit produces actual yuanshu paper – in Fuyang County. Not like odd rice paper, which is generally constructed of widespread straw and wooden, the parts for yuanshu paper have to be Fuyang’s native maozhu, a temperate species of big timber bamboo native to China.
The tender maozhu should undergo greater than 100 steps earlier than turning into a bit of yuanshu paper. This paper has excessive tensile energy, a easy floor and resistance to corrosion and mould.
A bit of yuanshu paper is often 70 centimeters huge and 180 centimeters lengthy. Paper is used not only for writing and drawing in Fuyang County, but additionally for meals packaging and printing.
In historic instances, paper was additionally the first materials for kites. Just a few craftspeople in Zhejiang Province nonetheless adhere to conventional rules from the previous. Chen Disheng is amongst them.
The work of the 80-year-old maestro resemble artworks extra prone to be discovered hanging on a wall than floating excessive above the town. Chen’s kites are sometimes bought by guests for at least 1,000 yuan (US$146).