Recently, the 2024 (Paris) Olympic Fine Arts Conference, officially invited by the International Olympic Committee and officially authorized by the Organizing Committee of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, was officially invited by the International Olympic Committee and officially authorized by the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee to open at the Seine National Music Center, a cultural landmark in France. Han Xinran, a teacher from the School of Fashion Arts and Engineering of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, was specially invited to participate in the exhibition, vividly showing the deep understanding and pursuit of the beauty of sports with a novel artistic language and innovative perspective.
Han Xinran, a jewelry teacher at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology
Han Xinran, graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts with a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in jewelry, has long been committed to intangible cultural heritage fashion innovation, is good at material experimentation, looks for breakthroughs in traditional crafts, and creates works that focus on ethics, philosophy, and humanities, and establishes a unique aesthetic and world view, and has been selected as one of the 100 Young Artists and the UBI2015 Ttopyoung 12 Young Artists.
Han Xinran's "Rabbit Takeaway" combines the contemporary silk thread language with the traditional image of the rabbit, showing that the athletes are positive in the face of difficulties, and have the courage to overcome difficulties, implying that they will surpass themselves, move towards success, and achieve their dreams. The work won the gold medal of the "2022 Chinese Zodiac Olympic Creative Exhibition". Since the beginning of university, she has started the road of intangible cultural heritage fashion exploration, through in-depth research on the cultural significance and craft characteristics behind intangible cultural heritage skills, and then reinterpreting them with modern design language, so that traditional skills can appear in the public eye with a new look, so as to attract more people to understand, appreciate and participate in the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage.
NO.1
"Rabbit Escape": The Olympic Spirit and Chinese Tradition
Cross-border integration and innovation of culture
"In the Olympic Movement, I think the rabbit is the most suitable for the 100-meter hurdles, it is good at running and jumping, so in the design I compared the Zodiac rabbit to a 100-meter hurdler athlete, expressing its speed, bounce, flexibility, and agility. The ribbon can just express the flexible side of the rabbit, and the shape of the rabbit is a state of leaping and jumping, which also implies the Olympic spirit of the rabbit, positive, beyond oneself and towards success. ”
The work "Rabbit Escape" was exhibited at the 2024 Olympic Art Conference in Paris
The work is inspired by the ancient Chinese praise of speed and agility, especially the description of "quiet as a virgin, moving as a rabbit", which coincides with the pursuit of faster, higher and stronger in the Olympic spirit. Han Xinran uses the image of the rabbit as a carrier, and through its agile jumping posture, it symbolizes the explosive power and speed of athletes on the field, so as to convey the challenge and breakthrough of the limit in the Olympic spirit.
"Rabbit Detachment" is made of a whole flowing metal ribbon, simulating the dynamic beauty of a rabbit when it runs, and at the same time implying speed and flexibility. The ribbon is light and fluid, and through a specific twist, it can create a visual effect as if it is about to take off, reinforcing the theme of "Rabbit Off" – speed and dynamism.
"Off the Rabbit"
"The main challenge was how to twist the shape of a rabbit with a complete ribbon that would remain fluid and structurally stable." In the design process, Han Xinran initially changed from a lying rabbit to a jumping rabbit through many modeling experiments, and gradually adjusted it to a jumping rabbit, with the help of the expressiveness of the rabbit's body structure, so that it has a three-dimensional sense of space, not just a flat shape.
In addition, the modernity and aesthetics of the ribbon shape were also taken into account. The work uses a metal batch process to simulate the mechanism of the ribbon to increase the layering and richness of the details of the work. This process is time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring a lot of manual work. Especially in terms of craftsmanship, it is not a simple mirror, but with many complex mechanisms, in the production process, each texture line needs to be polished to ensure the smoothness of the line.
The final work, "Rabbit Detachment", with its unique form and color, vividly shows the combination of speed and beauty. The work won the gold medal of the "2022 Chinese Zodiac Olympic Creative Exhibition", and was exhibited at the "Building Peace Together - 2024 (Paris) Olympic Art Conference" at the Seine National Music Center in Paris this year.
As a representative of intangible cultural heritage fashion innovation, "Rabbit Off" was exhibited at the Seine National Music Center in Paris, which is not only an international display of traditional Chinese culture, but also an important bridge for cultural exchanges between the East and the West. It proves the charm of intangible cultural heritage across borders, can promote understanding and respect between different cultures, and is also a recognition of the innovative ability of Chinese artists and designers, encouraging designers to continue to explore the modern expression of traditional culture in the context of globalization.
NO.2
Inheritance and innovation: integrating intangible cultural heritage crafts
Modern and stylish living
"Intangible cultural heritage is not only a historical relic, but also a living cultural gene, which should be integrated into modern life and radiate new vitality." Han Xinran has always adhered to the creative concept of "inheritance is not conservative, innovation does not forget the original", and continues to innovate on the basis of inheriting traditional craftsmanship. In addition to technological innovation, she believes that it is also necessary to integrate concepts with daily life to make intangible cultural heritage more vivid.
Since 2019, Han Xinran has been committed to the fashion innovation of black copper and silver and jade carving and other related products. Black copper and silver is a traditional folk metal hand-made technique in Yunnan, which was founded in Yuejiawan Village, Shiping County, Yunnan Province during the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, and has a history of more than 300 years. The black copper silver process is unique, and its production technology is based on "black copper" (alloy materials smelted from copper and other precious metals), silver and other precious metals as raw materials, after smelting, turning the mold, forging, modeling, carving, silver, welding, grinding, polishing, and then the surface of the copper embryo is treated into black with a special process and the exquisite decoration of the copper embryo is engraved with gilt silver to form a black and white elegant pattern.
Group photo of black bronze and silver jewelry works - "Black Gold Phantom Series", "Eternal Memory", "Diffuse Series Brooch"
The black copper silver process is often used to make incense burners, sacrificial tripods, and the four treasures of the study. This type of product is mainly used in the study, and the cost is extremely high, because it contains metal components, and the process is complex, and only a few inheritors have mastered it. In order to better do a good job in intangible cultural heritage fashion innovation, Han Xinran apprenticed to Jin Yongcai, the national inheritor of the black bronze silver production technology project.
This traditional craft is a national intangible cultural heritage, and Han Xinran hopes that through design and craft innovation, young people can also integrate intangible cultural heritage into their daily lives. Jewelry became a great carrier.
"Since the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage is mostly passed on from master to apprentice and lacks industrial production, we have introduced new technologies and design concepts in an effort to disseminate these intangible cultural heritage crafts in modern society." In the follow-up work, Han Xinran has carried out more exploration and improvement of the black copper silver process, and designed new products for the needs of daily wear. "We have also innovated in the process, such as through casting and CNC technology, the flat black copper and silver process is three-dimensional, making the expression of the process richer, and combining precious metals and gemstones for inlay, launching a series of new designs." She said.
Compared with the traditional shape, the modern black bronze silver craft jewelry works have undergone great changes and have been integrated into daily life. Han Xinran's jewellery "Black Gold Phantom" is interwoven with black copper and silver materials, showing the magic of nature and the vitality of life, which is not only a tribute to the natural landscape and cultural heritage, but also gives these elements a new life of fashion.
How do you balance traditional craftsmanship with modern design in your creation? Han Xinran believes that the key is to understand and respect the core values of each traditional craft, and at the same time explore its integration with modern aesthetics and technology. "In the design process, I try to retain the handiwork and warmth of traditional skills, and at the same time introduce modern design concepts and technical means, such as digital-aided design, to enhance the practicality and sense of the times of the works. In this way, it can not only maintain the traditional charm, but also make the work closer to modern life and attract more people's attention. ”
For the younger generation of artists and designers, Han Xinran suggested that in-depth study and understanding of traditional culture is the foundation of innovation; At the same time, keep an open mind, actively absorb excellent design concepts and technologies from all over the world, and have the courage to try and experiment. In terms of the combination of tradition and innovation, we might as well think more about how to present traditional elements in a way that is easy for modern people to accept, and create works that are both in-depth and contemporary. More importantly, stick to your own creative philosophy and maintain your passion and reverence for art.
In the future, Han Xinran plans to continue to deepen the research and practice of intangible cultural heritage fashion innovation, explore more intangible cultural heritage skills that have not been fully explored, and combine them with modern lifestyles to create new works that have both cultural connotation and meet market demand. "I also hope that through cross-border cooperation, such as the combination of art and technology, we can broaden the application scenarios of intangible cultural heritage fashion and let more people feel the charm of intangible cultural heritage." Han Xinran said.