Relying on Memory

For this project, I commissioned her to create the batiks required for a festive attire: two sleeves and a collar. These three pieces took her three days, and this video focuses on the process of drawing the collar.

She works without sketches—apart from using simple tools to mark the central circle and basic layout—relying entirely on memory for the rest. The collar design is centered on eight spirals. The tightly drawn lines create rhythm and tension, with the waxed areas (which will turn out white in the end) standing out against the indigo blue. This striking contrast also gives the name to this branch of the Miao ethnic group: the “White Collar Miao”.

Interpretations of the spirals vary: some say they resemble water eddies, others see the whorls of buffalo hair, or the unfurling of fiddlehead ferns. For me, the fascination lies equally in the process of making them. Using the tool (wax knife) to draw spirals is extremely demanding, requiring patience and steadiness. Madam Wang draws slowly and carefully, and if a mistake occurs, she scrapes the wax away with her fingernail.

Visually, each spiral appears to be constituted by a single line. In fact, it is composed of two lines (sometimes three), drawn from the inside outward, twisting around each other. Intriguingly, the lines never reveal a clear end; instead, they merge seamlessly into the surrounding motifs.

While Madam Wang was working, a friend stopped by and handed her batik pieces to dye and sew into clothing. This scene reflects the way the craft is practiced in the village today: a production chain where many women specialize in drawing batik at their own house, and then pass the pieces on to others for the next stage of work, eventually completing garments for sale.