Author(s)
In embarking on this project, I wanted to explore what constituted a woman in Imperial China. To me, the abstract idea of a woman in Imperial China was formed by words, through the writings that enforced their restrictions or the symbols of societal structure.
I wanted to pay homage to the process of woodblock printing that China invented through carving my own stamps to create the project. In doing so, I felt a greater sense of connection and was able to fully immerse myself in the project.
Artist’s Explanation
“Words and Women” is a project designed to be viewed in two parts. First, the static display of the final output as shown in the photos above (Fig 1-4). Second, the process, or the ‘journey’ towards the end-product through the behind-the-scenes video.
As I considered topics for my final individual topic, I kept returning to the notion of what made a woman in Imperial China. Of course, this varied from the relatively freer Tang Dynasty to the tightly bound (literally!) Ming dynasty, and even between classes in the same dynasty. However, a common theme I saw was that women were continously defined by words. Words by Confucius and intepreted by men such as Zhu Xi defined women’s place in society. Books written by the women themselves shaped women’s education, like the Women’s Analects by Song Ruoxin and Song Ruozhao. Virtues, rules, and morals all layered on top of each other till they formed the picture of the ‘perfect woman’ in Imperial China.
I picked woodblock carving as the best medium to represent these ideas. It felt the most meaningful to print these words the same way they may have been printed in Imperial China. Instead of wood, I used erasers due to a lack of budget. I learnt stamp carving just earlier this semester, and wanted to challenge myself by carving more intricate Chinese characters. As someone who prefers non-traditional artforms, I loved the opportunity to get creative in this way. While it was tiring – I carved the 32 unique stamps used in 2 days – it was exciting as well!
I hope that the audience will take away these learning points from my project. Firstly, the complexity of woodblock printing beyond simply stamping ink on paper. I documented the behind-the-scenes of this project to show how each stamp had to be carved and printed individually, giving a microscopic idea of the larger process undertaken by printers in Imperial China. While the jump from erasers in modern Singapore to wood in Imperial China may seem too vast to make, in reality printers in China also carved on softer surfaces such as beewax or resin that they spread on wooden frames. Hence, the parallels between now and then are closer than we think it is.
Secondly, the abstact idea of a woman in Imperial China. Women were certainly more than these words stamped on paper, yet these words are the longest-lasting depiction of women in Imperial China. They restrict the acts and thoughts of women, shaping their lives from their birth to their death. The outline of the woman is referenced from a painting of Chang’e, a Chinese deity, making it another unattainable ideal. The three figures hanging above the woman (Fig 4) represent her father, husband, and son, and symbolise her taught obedience to them. Chinese society also represented men as heaven (qian乾) and women as earth (坤). Placing these three figures above the women highlights the dichotomy between heaven and earth, and men and women in Chinese society. Therefore, the project aims to encapsulate what makes a woman in Imperial China: the words within and the people around her.