Taubman College Tsz Yan Ng’s Exhibition ‘Factory Setting: the space of labor’ concludes September 7
This Saturday, September 7 from 6:00-9:00pm, will be the conclusion of Tsz Yan Ng’s project “Factory Setting: the space of labor”. Over the past 4 weeks, Tsz Yan Ng has designed and built a room-height loom at 2739 Edwin. Through an incredibly laborious process, she has woven a large scale blended photographic image of the space and activities of the clothing factory she helped design.
The weaving will finish at 6:00pm this Saturday, September 7 and will be followed by a closing reception from 6:00-9:00pm at which the loom and woven textile/image may be viewed.
Gallery: 2739 Edwin, Floor 2, Hamtramck, MI 48212 Exhibition Closing Reception: Saturday, September 7, 6:00 to 9:00pm
About the project:
Textile manufacturing is a complex global phenomenon. Our understanding of the very clothing that we put on each day, where it comes from, how it is made, who it is made by, is veiled within a network of contingencies. These contingencies, ranging from tariffs to labor market trends, dictate not only the final purchase price of each product, but inform a much larger economy of workers, socio-political forces, and even the landscape of contemporary cities. This project is a case study of textile manufacturing as both subject matter and process of making; it examines the trajectory of its industrialization and, by extension, other manufacturing industries such as the auto industry here in Michigan. It is a rumination on issues of labor, its inherent values, and the notion of workers, both as individuals and as a collective force.
Drawing upon first-hand experience of the textile industry dating back to childhood, and more recently as a professional in architectural production, “Factory Setting: the space of labor”, points to the space of production and those who inhabit it. It is a reminder of the value of labor in textile manufacturing, from the material crafting of a learned trade, to the manual labor necessary for clothing production. It attempts to present the invisible value that is part of any garment, but missing from the label or the price tag. It offers a glimpse into the spaces of the contemporary garment factory, foreign to most in this country, but having a parallel in the industrial past that shaped the cities and social conditions that still surround us.
