ZhiZhiRen No. 67 Textile Studio／織織人67號 刻劃於布料上的情感與記憶
ZhiZhiRen No. 67 Textile Studio
A studio that memorializes emotions and memories on textile artwork
◎English translation: Wendy Wei Chang
◎Photos by Pao Chung-hui
ZhiZhiRen is still a relatively new company, but it is constantly gaining in popularity. In 2012, after graduating from Shu-Te University's Department of Fashion Design, Ms. Natalie Sun opened ZhiZhiRen No. 67 Textile Studio (ZhiZhiRen) with two of her classmates. Together they converted an old apartment into an art studio but the business got off to a slow start. They took on part-time jobs to cover business expenses and after three years her original partners had moved on to pursue other jobs. Although Natalie wondered if she should continue, her passion for the design and textile industry made her refuse to give up. Continuing with the business on her own, she has developed many initiatives, creative ideas and great works of art that has made her business grow.
ZhiZhiRen focuses on dying, screen printing and weaving textiles. Natalie has a unique product line, to which she applies her own design techniques. She produces creative camera straps, silkscreened cotton bags and potholders woven from waste cloth. She enjoys creating new pattern designs and particularly likes working with tie dye, as the natural dyes always create new and interesting patterns. After several years, the natural dyes tend to fade slightly. However, Natalie feels this is symbolic of passing time and memories created, compounding the charm of ZhiZhiRen's unique style. Natalie is always endeavoring to increase the value and beauty of her handmade work.
Over the years, Natalie has received a variety of feedback from her customers. One liked her tie dyed handkerchief so much so he wrote a poem about it. Once when she was selling her textile artwork at a street market in Hualien, she was honored when a customer recognized her work and exclaimed, "It's from ZhiZhiRen!" Some customers find the tie dyes products to be a little too expensive as they are made from costly materials. Natalie has also begun to attract a more diverse customer base with her designs that illustrate the variety cultures and lifestyles of the people of Kaohsiung. Over the years she has drawn a lot of inspiration from the people of Kaohsiung and has created Kaohsiung themed silkscreens which have become quite popular.
Natalie also allows artists to use her studio free of charge to hold exhibitions. She encourages artists to stay throughout the exhibition, so they can share about their experiences and ideas. On weekends, she also offers a variety of textile art classes, including silkscreen, embroidery and knitting. She tries to match class topics with upcoming exhibition themes. For example, for the upcoming travel exhibition in October, Natalie will teach the students how to put silkscreen travel designs on to products like notebook covers. Natalie hopes that by connecting her classes with exhibitions, she can make them more interesting. Natalie hopes ZhiZhiRen will become a place where people can share art work and exchange ideas. She also hopes the quality of her artwork will become more elegant and to incorporate more Kaohsiung themes and scenery into her artwork.
織織人67號 刻劃於布料上的情感與記憶
◎文／侯雅婷
◎攝影／鮑忠暉
「織織人67號」織品設計工作室是孫佳暄的創作基地。她懷抱著對織品創作的熱情，自樹德科技大學織品系畢業後第一年(2012年)，與2位同學共築創業夢，3人改建老公寓為工作室，初期面臨青黃不接窘境，還得兼差貼補開銷，到第2年至第3年時，夥伴們陸續轉職，孫佳暄一度非常掙扎，但她忠於自己獨力經營，厚植創作能量和作品。
「織織人」主要以染色、印刷和織作等3種技法，運用於日常生活所需的實用性產品，以手工製成，比如以棉布染製的相機背帶，絹印製成的棉布袋、廢布織成的鍋墊等，賦予產品獨樹一幟的風格。孫佳暄說她最喜愛圖案設計與綁染，她指出綁染之所以有趣，在於她可以使用不同植物當染料，創作意想不到的圖案效果，曾有客戶購買一條綁染的手帕而特地寫了一首詩，分享他內心的悸動。植物染經年累月地使用，些微褪色的樣子在布料上刻印出情感與記憶的痕跡，也許正是「織織人」手作風格的迷人之處。但綁染成本偏高，有些消費者不免怯步。很有想法的孫佳暄透過擅長的圖案設計詮釋高雄各區特色，於是各地特色文化和產業在她筆下鋪展開來，開拓了眼界也豐富了她的繪畫題材，這些市井小民的生活點滴，透過絹印製成多樣產品，廣受消費者喜愛。
「織織人」工作室每月免費提供給藝術家舉辦展覽，她也鼓勵創作者展出期間駐店分享，讓參觀者能與創作者有更多交流和分享的機會；同時孫佳暄為推廣手工製品的美感和價值，每個週末她在工作室舉辦不同主題的教學課程，比如絹印、刺繡和勾針；孫佳暄談起，每月展覽主題搭配相關教學主題規劃，比如10月登場的旅遊展覽，絹印課就會以旅行物件或是元素為製版圖案，讓學員印製成筆記本封面，使授課內容與展覽相呼應，期能提供更有趣的課程。孫佳暄希望「織織人」能成為一處民眾的創作分享、交流的空間。
孫佳暄談起今(2014)年7月初至花蓮市集擺攤販售時，有消費者拿起作品說聲：「是織織人耶！」對她是莫大的鼓勵！孫佳暄表示要繼續提升作品質感，朝著更好、更精緻的方向努力，並在作品中融入更多高雄的元素和風景，儘管「織織人」仍是個年輕的品牌，卻已慢慢發揮影響力！