HEMP Project
Voyage of the Shuttle – Ramie began with the artist’s field research in Hualien, Taiwan, on ramie culture and weaving practices. From planting and harvesting to twisting fiber and weaving nets or cloth, ramie thread remains in constant dialogue with the body. Inspired by this process, the artist reconnects the form of a bamboo weaving shuttle with the image of a bamboo raft, transforming a tool into a symbolic vessel carrying the histories and circulation of ramie in Taiwan. The raft holds a ramie sail, Japanese kimono fabric, yen coins, shells, woven baskets, ramie fibers, and driftwood shaped like the island of Taiwan. These elements evoke colonial history, trade, labor, and cultural exchange, while reflecting Taiwan’s complex historical formation. Here, material becomes more than a substance—it serves as a record of time, labor, and memory. Through the intertwined metaphors of weaving and drifting, the work frames weaving as an ongoing process of cultural transmission and identity.