Chinese artist Li Xiaofeng uses broken slivers of porcelain found at archaeological sites to create original costumes he calls “rearranged landscapes” for their ability to tell a story. To create his wearable works, Xiaofeng shapes and polishes found shards of porcelain from the Song, Ming, Yuan and Qing Dynasties. He drills holes into the pieces and loops them together with a silver wire to create traditional Chinese dresses, jackets and military uniforms.
In an interview with Azure magazine, Xiaofeng explained Chinese eat rice out of ceramic dishes. Therefore, by re-purposing ceramic shards as clothing to cover the human form, Xiaofeng’s “rearranged landscapes” explore the relation between the ceramic material and human body. To view a dress or jacket by Xiaofeng is to see centuries of history come together into a contemporary artwork. In other words, details in the porcelain reveal political, social and cultural changes in China’s history, both ancient and contemporary. Just as the long neck of a vase implies grace or a lotus flower represents purity, the forms and patterns in Xiaofeng’s costumes suggest a myriad of meanings.