TNAC Talks: Ellen Yiling Wu
Nerissa Ning｜05 July 2024
As a self-taught artist, Yiling Wu (Ellen) has injected new perspectives into traditional embroidery with her distinctive artistic practice. Trained in professional fashion design, she was not content with embroidery’s traditional role as a mere accessory to clothing. Through self-exploration and practice, she has redefined the boundaries of embroidery.
Ellen’s creative philosophy stems from a re-examination of the relationship between embroidery and fabric. She believes that embroidery should not merely serve the fabric but should possess its own language and story. Each piece of embroidery, she asserts, is a unique existence.
“Even the same pattern will present something different.”
Inspired by origami, watercolours, and floral tiles, she creates symmetrical yet varied patterns on fabric. These patterns are both a recreation of her childhood memories and an exploration of the fusion between traditional and modern, Eastern and Western art.
Ellen’s works not only reflect a contemplation of her personal cultural identity but also embody the practice of multicultural integration.
Her artistic journey is one of continual exploration and innovation. While showcasing her artistic talent, she also provides new possibilities for the combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern art, presenting viewers with an art world that is both familiar and novel.
Interview
with
Ellen Yiling Wu
INTRODUCE YOURSELF?
My training has always been related to design. I have a bachelor’s degree in textiles and a master’s in fashion business. I’ve always used embroidery to serve fabrics and clothing, but repeating these similar steps left me feeling quite bored. After taking a break, I began creating again, exploring the possibility of embroidery as an independent art form. I felt that embroidery doesn’t necessarily have to serve fabric all the time. I would like to find some ways for embroidery itself to become a piece of artwork, or let the embroidery has its own language. With this in mind, I experimented with different materials, hoping that embroidery could exist independently of fabric and tell its own story. Through my work, I aim to showcase the versatility of embroidery. I hope to capture the moment in life and infuse it with my personal emotions.
The ability of photography to “freeze” moments has prompted me to consider how to perpetuate the ephemeral beauty of embroidery. I’ve discovered that water-soluble fabrics allow me to achieve this effect. In my Blue Series works, I encapsulate embroidery with transparent resin, capturing the uncertainty revealed by the embroidery after washing away the fabric.
I use different types of threads to embroider patterns (all of which I design myself) on water-soluble fabrics, dissolve them in water and make slight adjustments, finally, use resin to preserve that moment. I embrace this uncertainty; each piece I create is entirely unique. It’s like the surprise of creating paper cutouts as a child—each final pattern is always unexpected.
I’ve also explored presentation in frames, against a background of deep black. I’ve employed less common threads and techniques, allowing each pattern to manifest numerous variations. In the exhibition, I arrange these embroideries in a grid format, grouping together similar yet entirely distinct pieces. Viewers can discern subtle differences through careful observation.
Much of my inspiration comes from personal experiences and memories that have shaped who I am today. I aim to create from a personal standpoint. For instance, I find the uncertainty in embroidery mirrors aspects of myself—it’s my interpretation of freedom. I also hope viewers can interpret it in their own ways, as everyone defines freedom differently.
I’m drawn to patterns with multiple axes of symmetry, and I enjoy the sense of “cycles” and “replication” in patterns. This might stem from childhood memories influenced by watercolours, origami, and decorative tiles. I lived with my grandparents in Taiwan during that time, in an old-style house adorned with decorative tiles on the old tile window. Subconsciously, I developed a fondness for those patterns, which now spontaneously appear in my creative process. During my childhood, paper cutting and watercolours were my usual forms of play, and now, I incorporate techniques from watercolour and origami into my pattern designs. I create my own patterns, hoping they become my personal decorative tiles, as if I’m constructing my own utopia—a realm without constraints of time and space, entirely free. At a certain level, they also reflect my cultural background.
My current life influences my work in terms of feasibility and critical thinking. Moving from Taiwan to London has allowed me to view my work from different perspectives. This otherness seems to manifest subconsciously in my creations. Interestingly, without knowing my background, people from Western countries have described my work as quite British.
Recently, I plan to create larger installations and explore the combination of embroidery with other materials. I’m interested in themes of mental health and disability, and I hope my work can support and bring attention to these issues.
Yiling Wu (Ellen), native of Taiwan, currently resides in London. She is dedicated to exploring and breaking the boundaries between 2D and 3D embroidery. She combines various embroidery techniques, integrating laser-cut fabrics, digital embroidery methods, and hand-beading techniques to breathe new perspectives into the traditional art form of embroidery. In her creations, she experiments with different embroidery materials to create her own patterns and new effects. Her works are primarily inspired by the floral elements of nature, memories from her childhood, and experiments from her daily life. Using embroidery as a medium, she connects her worldview, imagination, and attention to detail with the viewer, allowing them to find their own sense of tranquility and resonance.