I met Shao Yung, a crafter from zooanddust, at the Gryzzly Green Art Fair in Spring. She is a student of Master Sun from the Traditional Cultural Heritage. Together with my friends from Hello Nature, she exhibited a stunning series of plant fiber works at the Art Fair. I have written about plant fiber more than once; simply because they are magical. From plants to daily necessities, I am passionate about anything that can tell the passing of time and the wisdom of our ancestors. Anything that encompasses the elements of time, weather, and human touch amaze me. As I stood to admire these amazing plant fiber works, sweat dripped down my face.
“I fell in love with traditional items when I was still a woodworker. There are things like handmade chisels, and the very old mortiser and hand planes that I found in my teacher’s place. And later on, I got to learn about the bamboo-mud wall, traditional bamboo baskets, and wicker trays, and realized that many traditional utensils are actually made of plants.”
Shao Yung talked about plant fiber weaving as if she was introducing a dear friend to me: the use of plant fiber demonstrates a natural way of living that was practiced by our ancestors. While we live in subtropical climates, it comes naturally that we use plant fibers to make daily utensils.
“Weaving with plant fibers is so time consuming!” I said, with my hands running over the tiny plant that I had no clue what it was.
“Time passes regardless. Yet, your dedication and commitment will be woven into the fibers and eventually presented to the world. It is very honest. People can tell your carelessness, carefulness, and dedication from the materials,” Shao Yung said to me as she rearranged the small rattan plates.
屬於棕櫚科的山棕,取下葉子中間那根葉中勒,多被編織成小花盤。
Formosa palm is a species in the Arecaceae family. The leaf stalks of its palm fronds are often used for weaving small baskets.
取材於葛藤,收集葛藤的藤蔓刮取纖維,曬乾,再捻成雙股線製作的作品。
Made with the fibrous yarn spun from Kudzu vines.
這是劭雍以芭蕉假莖纖維製作的小網袋,用切成片狀的假莖,再撕分成更細的纖維,捻成線製作而成。
A small mesh bag crafted by Shao Yung with fibers that are hand scraped from the pseudo-stems of Musa Basjoo and spun into yarn.
Fiber extraction and processing can be a soothing process. “Weaving with plant fibers is a very unique experience because the fibers are relatively difficult to obtain. They are not something that you can easily buy and it takes a lot of time and physical strength to get them. The whole process requires great attention and patience.” I once thought that weaving is simply a matter of warp and weft, but the truth is, plant fiber weaving is way more than that. From the selection of plants, harvesting, and processing to get the fibers, every step counts. Plants are very honest in that sense.
“What do you have in mind when plant hunting?” I imagined Shao Yung going into the deep forest to plant hunt; but in fact, there are places like the Traditional Cultural Heritage in Taiwan that have been growing plants suitable for weaving.
“There should always be a plan before starting to weave with natural fibers. You need to know what you need to do with the materials and what you want to produce at the end because that determines the time, season, weather condition, and location in which you’d go plant hunt. Those factors would, in turn, affect the conditions of the plants.” Plants never react to human emotions and always grow at their own wills. They surprise humans with their uniqueness and inspire us to explore the numerous possibilities that lie in them.
“Plants are very interesting. They will tell you what they are best used for after you spend enough time with them.” It might be the crafters who take the lead in starting the creative process, but it’s the plant itself that determines and crafts the unique characteristics of the creation. Compared with man-made fibers and plastics, plant fibers are spiritual. They bond with us in a unique way.
A work made of Musa Basjoo fiber by Ting Wei, the mastermind behind Hello Nature, who practices weaving with Shao Yung.
“I fell in love with plant-made household products because of their warmth and texture. They are nothing like the mass-production in the modern era.” Plant-made utensils evolve with time and humidity. They are a reflection of life.
“It has become a way of life for me; I get up in the morning and go to the balcony to check on the plant fibers that are being dried. Turn them over and rearrange them. I also help at my teacher’s farm where we grow plants for fiber production. From collecting the plants, to creating with them and eventually producing a product, there is this sense of accomplishment that makes me feel like I have control over things. This is probably what keeps me going.”
I believe that everyone knows well what it means to be satisfied with life; it’s just a matter of whether they can, or are willing to, take the time to be honest with themselves and live up to it. To me, Shao Yung is one of those who lives genuinely and devotes herself deeply to something she is interested in. She lives honestly in the ideal world she has crafted for herself.