Background of the Pokfulam Village Aunties Handcraft Journal Project

The establishment the Village Aunties' Studio is unintentional, just like the development of the village of Pokfulam, which is both serendipitous and dynamic.The project was initiated by a group of village women who met while participating in a flower pot painting activity in 2014.

 

They found that art could beautify the village and was also very healing. It wasn't until 2017 that Alice taught the villagers how to dye Sappan wood during the Dragon Boat Festival, the first time they had ever experienced natural dyeing. Nevertheless, they were fascinated by the colours of nature. Then in 2018, with the support of the Conservancy Association, Alice organised the first indigo dyeing workshop in the village, which everyone enjoyed. The women then began to study indigo dyeing and received training from various artisans who came to the village to guide them through the process. In the same year, the Village Aunties' Studio was officially established and its members were called "Village Aunties".

 

The Village Aunties' Studio members included Ann, Ah Yu, Ling Ling, Mei Yee, Sally and Jenny, some of whom were born and raised in the village, some of whom moved to the village with their husbands after marriage, and some of whom have been volunteers in the village, and all of whom have lived in the village for more than ten years. Living in close proximity to each other, they like to get together to do handcraft, cook, share their life experiences, parenting and planting tips, and so on, adding a bit of healing and relaxing "me time" to their stressful daily lives. Using natural resources and local materials, they use their hands to make simple and practical handcraft to beautify the village. They also organise various natural dyeing activities such as turmeric dyeing, sappan wood dyeing, beggar sticks (Bidens frondose), mile-a-minute weed (Mikania micrantha) and indigo dyeing, inviting the villagers to participate in the activities and fostering their relationship with each other.

 

In early 2020, when there was a shortage of masks due to the outbreak of the pandemic, the village aunties took the initiative to sew cotton masks for the elders in the village to cope with the emergency, and they cooperated with each other to produce a large number of masks with their own strength and distributed them to the elders in the district, making more than 300 masks during the outbreak. More than 300 masks were made during the epidemic. During the summer, the village elders also taught the villagers how to make indigo-dyed mosquito repellent bags. Most of the plants that can be used for natural dyeing are harmless to their skin and even have medicinal value, so the finished products are practical and beautiful, and the villagers love them. To support the village's conservation efforts, the village aunties used Pok Fu Lam's natural and historic environment as the theme for their workshops, and designed a series of community craft workshops to raise participants' awareness of the village and the environment around them.

 

The "Pokfulam Village Auntie's Studio Handcraft Journal" was launched in 2021. The six members of the Village Auntie's Studio learnt various handcraft from local artists, such as local plant dyeing, embroidery dyeing, natural food dyeing, ceramics and bamboo art, etc., so that they could express their thoughts and feelings through their own experiences and handcraft, and think about how handcraft can play a role in community development as well as preserving the history and culture of the community today. The book captures their learning process and thoughts on craft and life, and provides craft demonstrations and lessons for readers to follow, promoting the importance of 'handmade' crafts.

 

We also hope that through the lives of the village aunties we can bring out the way of life that city dwellers have forgotten - "neither village nor city, but the way of life of a settlement". The Pokfulam Village Aunties' Handcrafts Journal presents rural values and records the application of traditional wisdom in modern life in Pokfulam Village, so that the public can understand the value of village culture, review the rural areas in the metropolis and promote a diversified rural lifestyle. In the 21st century, it is widely believed that technology will replace hands, but the village aunties tell us about the different possibilities. With their hands, they embody the traditional aesthetics of "art as everyday life" and encourage the public to cherish and respect the treasures left to us by our ancestors and by nature.

 

With the help of our hands, there are still other choices in our lives.