A Silkworm's Dreams Weave A Rhyme

The project explores how ancient animism and female identity have been hidden by industrialisation, and how the materiality of silk production serves as a site to reconnect female identity, heritage, and the spiritual bonds between humans and non-humans.

Thousands of years ago in China, our ancestors believed in the concept of animism, weaving a spiritual bond of coexistence between humans and all beings. The silkworm, as one of the softest and most mysterious creatures, was regarded as a spiritual entity and was called the “divine insect.” Its cycle of transformation echoed ancient Chinese views on life and samsara. Around the silkworm, a folk belief system formed. A myth of the silkworm goddess, centred on female divinity, became part of this tradition. 

But in today’s fast-changing world of industrialisation and modernity, the traditional silk mill has suffered a severe blow. The spiritual order is quickly disintegrating and fading. During my fieldwork, I started to realise that these beliefs no longer exist in complete form. Instead, they hide in fragments, metaphors, and shifts to the practice of female labour. Silkworms influence human life and work through its materiality and life cycle.

Inspired by the new animism, I discover how faith related to materials can be reorganised through images, and discuss the female identity behind the production. Through the practice of photography, I questioned how materiality, heritage, and embodied experience reconnect the past and the present. To explore the hidden spiritual connections between humans and non-humans.