Heirloom Project
- List of Heirloom Objects
- Wooden comb
- My family’s been using this specific brand of wooden comb since I can remember things, and I brought this one with me when I first moved to Boston.
- Polaroid
- This is a polaroid I took with my cousins when I went back to China and visited families during this winter break. We’ve been really close since we were little, and we started to drift apart because of the distance. But when I came back to Beijing this time, it felt like we were how we used to be again, and I decided to take a polaroid to help me remember that feeling.
- Cartier necklace
- I cherish this Cartier necklace very much not only because of its materialistic value, but also its emotional significance for me. My grandparents bought me this necklace for my 18th birthday. My grandpa had to work very hard to get out of poverty and provide a comfortable life and opportunity to education for his family when he was young, and his story has always taught me to appreciate the great things in life that I get to enjoy through his lifelong hard work.
- Scarf
- A funny story that I will remember for the rest of my life.
- Book
- This is a book written by a famous artist Guanzhong Wu, who also was my aunt’s mentor. He was a very big part of my aunt’s life, as well as our family’s. I grew up under his artistic influence and looking at his paintings on the walls, listening to my mom reciting his poems. When he passed away a few years ago, our family was very affected by the loss. I didn’t get to know him, unfortunately, since I was still young when he passed away, but his books and artworks continue to be a huge part of my inspiration everyday.
- Perfume
- I got this little bottle of perfume at a perfumery in Grasse, France. It was during my senior trip in high school. I didn’t really register that I was going to be a college student soon until we were on that trip, and that high school was really going to end. It made me appreciate the trip even more, and the perfume is one of the few things I have from that trip, and it reminds me of the memory every time I wear it.
- Dress
- My older cousin always gives me clothes that she doesn’t wear anymore, and it’s always been my secret pleasure whenever I visit her, and I can always get a bag of new clothes. She’s been my first fashion inspiration because she’s always been so well dressed and has good taste in clothing.
- Sweater
- This is a sweater my mom hand-knitted when she first took up knitting as a hobby. Even though this sweater is a little bit flawed and uneven, I still wear it once in a while to show her some love.
- Butterfly necklace
- This is one of the first jewelry I’ve ever gotten, and it’s from Swarovski. It’s come full circle with Swarovski because I worked at a store this summer and still come back to work when I go home.
- Watercolor palette
- My mom bought me this watercolor palette to support my passion for art when I expressed an interest in watercolor in middle school. This watercolor is so durable that I still use it today, and I’ve made so much artwork from it.
- Wooden comb
- Categorization of Objects
object\category family/self materialistic/emotional literal/abstract artistic/functional heritage/innovation Wooden comb Family Emotional Literal Functional Heritage Polaroid with cousins Family Emotional Abstract Artstic Heritage Cartier necklace Family Materialistic Literal Functional Heritage Scarf Family Materialistic Literal Functional Innovation Book by Wu Guanzhong Family Emotional Abstract Artistic Both Perfume from France Self Emotional Abstract Functional Innovation Dress from Cousin Family Materialistic Literal Functional Heritage Sweater knitted by Mom Family Emotional Abstract Artistic Heritage Swarovski butterfly necklace Self Materialistic Abstract Artistic Innovation Watercolor palette Self Emotional Abstract Functional Innovation - Self-Defined “Heirloom” & “Fashion”
- Heirloom
- In English: any treasured possession handed down from generation to generation; a piece of personal property that goes to an heir along with an estate; a variety of plant that has originated under cultivation and that has survived for several generations usually due to the efforts of private individuals
- In Mandarin: 祖传/传家宝 -> 祖: ancestors, 传: preserve and pass down -> something from ancestors that were handed down through generations
- Difference in languages:
- There’s more meaning to what heirloom can mean in English, while the meaning in Mandarin is more literal and has more of an emphasis on the preserved objects being physically handed down to next generations.
- My own definition:
- Something meaningful and valuable for a family, which could be material like an object, or abstract like a character trait and beliefs, that is present, and is being inherited through generations.
- Fashion
- In English: a popular trend, especially in styles of dress and ornament or manners of behavior; a manner of doing something.
- In Mandarin: 时尚 -> 时兴的风尚 -> a social atmosphere/ social conduct that’s in season; style that’s in vogue.
- Difference in languages:
- Both definitions touch base on being trendy, and the popularity of a style in the time, and both represents a behavior in society
- My own definition:
- Fashion is an expression of oneself, and staying true to oneself is staying in fashion. Fashion can be communicated through cultural elements, and how you perceive the world, and how you send a message to others.
- Heirloom
- Glossary
- 传承 Chuan Cheng
- To inherit and spread
- Cheongsam / Qipao 旗袍
- A traditional Chinese feminine dress
- 京剧戏服 Beijing Opera Costume
- A distinct style of costume that performers put on for an opera show.
- 国画 traditional Chinese painting
- Traditional Chinese painting employing the use of a writing brush, ink stone, ink, paper and strong, thin silk cloth (for backing). Styles of painting can be divided into ink and wash (水墨), meticulous brush technique (工笔), freehand brushwork (写意), and sketching (白描), among others. Subject matter includes portraits, landscapes, and flower and bird painting. Traditional Chinese painting adopts a shifting or moving perspective instead of the fixed perspective familiar in Western painting. More important than a realistic representation is the depiction of the aura of the object and the artist’s subjective feelings. This reflects the theory in Chinese philosophy that human beings are an integral part of nature. Traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy have a common origin, focusing on the organic combination of poetry, calligraphy, drawing and the imprint of the seal.
- 传承 Chuan Cheng
- Mood Board
- Sound Track
- https://open.spotify.com/track/3z4leqkfSaXQPAyGwQruTe?si=Mke49if1RdWiZXsDBHBO_w
- Related NY Times Articles
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- Rendering Chinese Landscapes With Hints of the West, 2012
- The Other Chinese Miracle: A Renaissance of Painting,1995
- Both of these articles talk about the artist Wu Guanzhong, who has always been a huge influence in my family. He was my aunts mentor, so I grew up looking at his paintings around my house, and I was taught his set of values and aesthetics. The two articles discuss the influence of Western artistic values on Wu Guanzhong’s personal style, and how he combines it with the traditional Chinese paintings, establishing a whole new contemporary system of approaching Chinese art. His unique style of representation of landscape has had tremendous impact on my experience in art, which is why I chose his book to be one of my heirloom objects, because it represents the idea of carrying on cultural heritage in a different environment, and the idea of revolutionizing traditional concepts into more innovative combinations of cultures.
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- Sketches
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- Final Product
- Statement
- The way I define an heirloom is something valuable for a family, and the cultural belief that runs through the family across generations. For me, my family has always taught me to respect my cultural heritage, and there’s no artistic innovation without inheriting from the traditional values. This idea is strongly demonstrated through the work of the famous artist Wu Guanzhong, who was also my aunt’s mentor, and was close with my family before he passed away in 2010. His paintings, as well as my grandma’s, have played a very important role in my artistic journey, and influenced me in many different ways. The references to their artwork is what led me to accomplish what I have artistically, which is the reason why I chose the book of Wu Guanzhong to represent values that were passed down in my family. I named the final product “Chuan Cheng (传承),” which means to inherit and spread in Mandarin. For my design, I referenced the collar of the traditional Cheongsam dress, and the shape of a woman’s costume in a Beijing Opera, then proceeded to paint on the fabrics in a style inspired by Wu Guanzhong’s revolutionary style of painting and my grandma’s traditional Chinese paintings. I wanted to make this piece as a self-reflection piece to remind myself of what cultural heritage I carry within me. Since I was little, I’ve been going to summer camps in the U.S, and interacted with people with western values throughout my education, and as a result, I was influenced by a lot of the “western” values. This project was my way of reminding myself of where I come from and going back to my cultural roots, of inheriting and spreading my cultural beliefs in a garment.
