Director: Zehua Wu

Synopsis: The Artificial Flower Film presents the story of ZEHUA WU’s Artificial Flower Fashion Collection. In an ever-changing world, preserving the precious fleeting moments prompted the main concept of the Artificial Flower Film. There is a tradition of funerals in my hometown village of Nanzhao, China, where coffins are covered by artificial flowers and the Chinese instrument of suona are combined to safeguard the living memory of the dead. By using artificiality, a parallel world was created to strengthen the details from places and people that disappeared into nothing but memories. Reminiscing on the memory of my  grandmother lying in a bed of synthetic flowers, these artificial flowers were the sustainment of the memories between us.

Bio: Zehua Wu is a fashion designer who focuses on art as fashion. Her passion stems from her eclectic explorations in fine art, including graphic design, sculpture, and illustration. The stories behind Zehua’s collections come from her multi-cultural background with a nationality of China and an education in both the US and the UK. Intertwining the aesthetics behind materiality and the advancements of technology, Zehua explores to bridge the connection between virtual and visceral. Zehua developed a system of mechanisms which allowed her to create 3-D textiles and surfaces used for wearable fashion. By pushing past the boundaries of art and fashion, she works in interdisciplinary approaches to present a body of innovative work. Zehua envisions a new cultural phenomenon in society that redefines modern art by implementing the value and depth of fine art and technology in a fashion way. She aspires to make modern art wearable, touchable, and communicative to everyone.

Program: Color, Movement & Fashion – VAEFF 2023