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Rituals and Process

Vicki's British nationality and Chinese culture has provided the inspiration for this collection. Many significant events in her childhood emerged from the stand-off between her Chinese heritage and her diametrically opposed Western upbringing. Born in Yorkshire to Chinese parents, Vicki’s dual identity resulted in some interesting conversations in the playground and although she learnt to keep quiet about the bird phlegm soup, it was harder to escape the rather attention-grabbing sacrificial chickens. On the flip side, Sunday dim sum was a delicious treat for which she would gladly forsake another BMX play date with her Spiderman impersonating neighbour.
It is these Chinese customs that have provided the inspiration for this collection, Rituals and Process. Each piece tells an individual story: whether a regular custom that peppered Vicki’s childhood or a single event that unnerves her to this day. Using illustrations and collaged images, Vicki explores her experience of the crossover between Eastern traditions and Western sensibilities.
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Rituals and Process is brought together in a dramatic 11.5foot kimono. This installation piece illustrates many of Vicki’s stories and experiences, which have been printed directly onto the fabric. And although the kimono is generally recognised as the traditional dress of the Japanese, the garment actually originated from China. In her book ‘Kimono; fashioning culture’, Liza Dalby states that ‘the history of the Japanese garments in the kimono genealogy does not begin until the seventh century, when the nascent Japanese imperial court adopted styles of robes and court clothing from the Chinese.’
So by taking an item that is ultimately Chinese despite subsequent translation, Vicki has come full circle with her cultural legacy. By recollecting the Chinese beliefs that were imposed on her, Vicki has closed some of the distance that she would try put between them and herself; fearful of how the Western environment around her would react. By using her own aesthetics to translate these memories into vividly illustrated pieces, Vicki has been able to laugh at the inherent humour of these stories, celebrate the warmth of her family life and finally embrace her heritage.