Interweaving Poetic Code

From May 2021, CHAT (the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) welcomes all to its spring programme Interweaving Poetic Code. Curated by Takahashi Mizuki, Executive Director and Chief Curator of CHAT, Interweaving Poetic Code explores the common thread of code, textile, and care through interactive installations, workshops and performances by exhibition Artistic Director Taeyoon Choi and his collaborators, including Aarati Akkapeddi, Andreas Angelidakis, Laura Devendorf, Christine Sun Kim, KOBAKANT, Amor Munoz and Rebirth Garments.  

Historically, the Jacquard loom has enabled the weaving of complex patterns through its programmable punchcards of binary codes since the early 19th century. Since considered as the foundation of computer programming, the relationship between textile and computer technology is undeniably intertwined.

It is with this purpose in mind that CHAT, as an art centre set in the unique location of a revitalised cotton-spinning mill, explores and expands on the conversations surrounding textile and computation. Together with artistic direction from Taeyoon Choi, the spring programme extricates textiles’ and computation’s common propensity for care of not only individuals, but also communities. Through its exhibition and its varied workshops, talks, and performances, CHAT revisits textiles’ ability to clothe us, dress our wounds, and protect us from the elements, and at the same time, CHAT also questions the connectivity of computer code, now applied in all facets of modern life, and how it can be utilised to shape our society for care and inclusivity.

Exhibited works at CHAT’s gallery on 2/F of The Mills include Aarati Akkapeddi’s Memory and Motif, a work reflecting on personal identity and memory and machine learning; Laura Devendorf’s innovative textile A Fabric that Remembers; Christine Sun Kim’s playful series of drawings Future Base; KOBAKANT’s installation and representation of their e-textile shop; Amor Munoz’s textile pieces that embodies both weaving and coding; and Taeyoon Choi’s multidisciplinary works of paintings, poetry and installations.

Elsewhere on the ground floor of The Mills, CHAT exhibits two large-scale installations open to the public. Displayed until June 6, 2020, Andreas Angelidakis’s installation of soft module blocks titled The Bobbin Order (DEMOS CHAT) welcomes visitors’ interactions. Inspired by the Ecclesia of Demos from the artist’s home country of Greece, the work pays homage to the concept of assembly and the “gathering of people for a common purpose.” With colourful modules reminiscent of the classic computer game Tetris, this installation also derived patterns and textures from items in CHAT’s collection. Above The Bobbin Order, Taeyoon Choi’s Interweaving Poetic Code Flag vibrantly heralds the main themes of the exhibition, namely, code, textile and care, and further explores the relationship between technology and textile production.

Over the course of the season, CHAT will organise performative experiences which will take place in this space. On May 22, during the week of Art Basel Hong Kong, Taeyoon Choi and collaborators will join forces in the performance Distributed Web of Care: Semaphore Poetry Between Seoul and Hong Kong to explore the concept of centralised, decentralised and distributed networks through the coding of semaphore flags. Later on June 5, teachers and students from a Hong Kong local school will make the soft sculpture art installation come alive with dance in The Bobbin Order (DEMOS CHAT) Rhapsody Infinity.

On July 2, CHAT and Eaton HK will organise Access Breach: Radical Visibility, a fashion and pride party showcasing garments by Rebirth Garments and models for whom these clothes are tailor-made. This event aims to celebrate futuristic fashion, pride beats, body positivity and raise awareness around diversity, equality and inclusivity.   

To emphasise the importance of “unlearning” as a way to question and examine the modes of learning and sources of knowledge, CHAT transformed one of its galleries into an Unlearning Space. Scattered within the space are individual stations on topics of weaving, coding, computing, knitting and drawing with respective hands-on activities suited for visitors of all abilities and backgrounds.

The various dynamic components of the spring programme, with its aim to demystify the often feared or misunderstood coded language of computer technology and with its focus on inclusivity and care, invite visitors who encounter the works of textile and code to playfully communicate with these new expressions, iterations and presentation in new and exciting ways.

CHAT’s permanent display Welcome to the Spinning Factory! will be showing together with Interweaving Poetic Code during this exhibition period.

About CHAT
CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) is located at The Mills in Hong Kong, the former cotton-spinning mills of Nan Fung Textiles in Tsuen Wan. Through its own curated multifaceted programmes, which include exhibitions and co-learning programmes, CHAT invites visitors to experience the spirit of the innovative legacy of Hong Kong’s textile industry and engage in new dialogues and inspirational journeys that interweave contemporary art, design and heritage, weaving creative experiences for all.

CHAT, The Mills
45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, N. T., Hong Kong

Information: enquiry [​at​] mill6chat.org