Fabric

2017. Video (19:41 minutes, 16:9, stereo), Patchworks Installation, dimension variables

Photo courtesy of MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum

The global fashion industry, worth billions, is one of the most significant sectors of our global economy. However, the reality is that many individual producers in developing countries work long hours under harsh conditions for minimal income, often less than a living wage.

The project "Fabric" addresses the importance of the textile and apparel industry in the globalized economy, highlighting the issue of cheap labor in mainland Southeast Asian countries. Piyarat initiated and executed this project in Southeast Asia, a region that has become a top outsourcing destination in recent decades due to its low labor costs.

Over six months, Piyarat conducted artistic research across several Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. She carefully observed garment workers in industrial zones and special economic zones (SEZs).

Additionally, she spent a short time in Japan researching the history of workers' struggles in a mill during the Meiji Era to draw parallels between past and present labor issues.

Besides her research and photo documentation, she created collaborative artworks with local workers in each Southeast Asian site, consisting of patchworks and a video documentary.

Regarding her process, Piyarat collected fabric scraps from factories in the countries where she conducted her research. She then provided these scraps to local seamstresses in each country, who used them to create patchworks. The scraps traveled across borders, symbolizing the transmission of stories. Piyarat only specified the size of the artworks, giving the local seamstresses the freedom to design the patchworks themselves. This approach was intended to ensure that the artworks were genuine collaborations between the artist and the local workers.

This project is supported by the Japan Foundation Asia Center Fellowship Program.

Collection of MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum