FLORAL JOURNEY (AUTRY MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, 2014)

Gift of Francis F. Randolph, J. Ogden Bulkley, and David T. Bulkley

Gift of Francis F. Randolph, J. Ogden Bulkley, and David T. Bulkley

Gift of Francis F. Randolph, J. Ogden Bulkley, and David T. Bulkley

Gift of Francis F. Randolph, J. Ogden Bulkley, and David T. Bulkley

Short sleeve, backless embroidered blouse with long front panel. Strings attached at the neck and the midriff tie up at the back of the blouse. The pattern on the main fabric of the blouse is horizontal stripes in a colour pattern of brown, black, green, and yellow. On both shoulders and over each breast there is an embroidered flower motif with two circles of appliqué mirrors, one around the outside edge and a smaller circle on the inside. Down the centre and along the sleeves of the blouse is an intricately embroidered ‘tab’ which also contains an appliqué mirror border and a single line of appliqué mirrors in the centre of the ‘tab’. There are also three fully represented and two half represented ‘chicken’ pattern designs. Around the bottom edges of the blouse and on the cuffs of the sleeves there is a yellow material with red dots. On either side of the blouse there is the same material but in red with a green border. The tie at the top of the blouse is black.

Fire starting kit consisting of four components. Part a: Two caps on the either end of a small rope which attach to either end of a bamboo stalk (part b). These caps come from a single silk worm cocoon that has been cut in half. There is a flat, rectangular piece of iron that is used with a flint (part d) attached to the length of rope. The iron is curved into a hook-shape on one corner in order to allow the iron to hang off the piece of rope. Part b: Length of bamboo stalk, hollow at one end to allow for the storage of parts c-d, inside there is a bundle off-white un-spun silk fibre. The closed end of the bamboo stalk is burnt and blackened. This end is the carbonated end used to light a dried silk tuft to ignite a fire. Part c: A tobacco leaf rolled up and bent at one end. Part d: Piece of stone used as a flint. It is mostly black with streaks of brown and there is a brown line that runs down the centre of the stone. The edges are mostly jagged, but there is one smooth edge.

Long red pants with overall repeating design. The design is in a Chinese style depicting trees, flowers, houses with slanted roofs, and people paddling in boats and walking near trees. The waist is created by folding over the excess material and stitching it closed, thus you are able to see the backside of the Chinese print. The waistline has been sewn in such a way that there is an opening in the centre. In this space, are several pink threads braided together with the ends loose. These threads hold the pants around the wearer’s waist. The pant cuffs have eight repeated lines of stitching.