COLLECTIVE INFECTION
Collective Infection
Fabric, Fibre Stuffing, Conveyor Belt
2023
150 x 50 x 30 cm
This work explores the ceaseless labour activity entangles the individual with the collective. Collective Infection revolves around the ubiquitous teddy bear, a childhood companion, reflecting the pervasive influence of an infectious force within our society. The manufacturing process of teddy bears is reminiscent of an assembly line; it also perpetuates a lineage of labour passed down through three generations of women in my family. This embodies the generations of individuals trapped by capitalism, ‘labour’ being consistent within society, and the cyclical nature of labour reoccurs as a loop under the relentless force of capitalism.
Based on the experiences of my grandmother in 1960s-70s Hong Kong, a period marked by widespread industrialisation, it becomes apparent that almost every household played a role in this collective effort. Women, in particular, would bring home semi-finished products like stuffed toys to assemble at home with their children. Then, they would return the completed pieces to the factories.
Initially appearing uniform in colour, embodying a uniqueness hidden beneath their seemingly standardised appearance, which creates a sense of ‘we are all different, but we are all the same’.
I replicated the production mode of labourers working on teddies without the use of machines, hand-sewing each piece by hand.