New Art Exhibition Celebrates Cross-Cultural Ties Between UK and Vietnam

London Design Festival is fast approaching. Taking over the capital between 16 - 24 September, the one-week event presents a top-tier curation featuring the best of London's cultural offerings. Kicking off the annual festival is the Wax Atelier-led exhibition Mother Goddess of the Three Realms, celebrating cross-cultural ties between the UK and Vietnam at Hackney's Centre 151 space.

Uncovering a variety of themes rooted in sustainable practices, the exhibition is in collaboration with the Blue H'mong craftswomen of Pa Co village (Mai Chau) and Kilomet 109n (Hanoi), inviting visitors to embark on a 'journey in reverse' to witness the theatre of plant turning into product, seen through the lens of the spiritual Mother Goddess.

Noting the significance of the exhibition and all it entails, Vickie Hayward - one of the curators of the exhibition at Company,Place told us:

'In our new exhibition, Mother Goddess of the Three Realms, the rope has really become a symbol for female led collaboration, both with the land and in the joining of hands across cultures. We’re intertwining ideas from a wide group of practitioners; specifically, individuals and organisations who are contributing to the preservation and proliferation of ancient knowledge, materials and processes. I hope we have created a space which will encourage participation and generosity in the exchange of ideas.'

Using the three metaphorical realms - forest, water and heaven - to guide the visitors through the exhibit, the exhibition's space has been split up into three specially curated rooms comprising of the garden, tea house and theatre to demonstrate how cross-cultural ideas and skills from a wider group of designers, architects and craftspeople are intimately intertwined.

The exhibition is also kindly supported by the British Council who mentioned in a statement that they were 'honoured to support this ongoing project', adding to their UK/Vietnam Season 23, a specially curated programme exploring the link between both countries' craft heritage and shared knowledge to 'celebrate 30 years in Vietnam'.

Lola Lely and Yesenia Thibault-Picazo of Wax Atelier stated, 'In many cultures, the Mother Goddess is seen as a protector of the environment and a source of wisdom about how to live in balance with nature. Our hope for the project was to embark on an exploration of design and craft through the figure of the Mother Goddess, a powerful universal symbol that can bring us closer to nature, bridge different cultures and reveal the common threads that bind us together.'

Wax Atelier have also organised various events around the opening in celebration of London Design Festival. You can find the full events list and bookings here.