Chinese Liuli
Every great craft will see its rise and fall.
As we probed the vaults of knowledge, we discovered the brilliant light of Liuli shining through thousands of years of Chinese history. Intrigued by our discovery, we began researching and experimenting with various techniques. The find was less mysterious than we thought; what we found was generation after generation of hard work, have taken it up endlessly, we realized the key to the concept: respect and progression.
It takes more than one generation to realize an art form. There are those who pave the way and those who refine the path. When we were invited to have a collection exhibition in Victoria & Albert Museum in 1998, we saw the rolling green grass fields in front of archaic castle nearby the museums and were so envious. And we were just reminded that there was an article on the newspaper about maintaining and creating a uniform lawn. The conclusion was simple: take care of it on a daily basis and after four-hundred years, it will naturally know its shape.
We thus believe that today’s loneliness is for the tomorrow’s cultivation. Perhaps we can not only do more than revive an art form but also maintain a cultural spirit by learning to respect tradition, ourselves and others. We believe that this line of work is one that holds meaning.
The production of Liuli beads saw the regeneration from the Western Zhou to the Western Han Dynasties. Under controlling high temperatures and casting techniques, new forms and depths were reached. We would imagine the creation of the delicately beautiful Liuli ear cups and the incredible journey took to get to that point. From Xinjiang to Hubei and Hunan, from Hebei to Jiangxi, each unearthed artifact exhibited unique composition and form in addition to the evident influence Eastern and Western technique and artistic theories had on each other.