Creating something new from old

UK-China culture exchange promises blend of modern and traditional craftsmanship

Great art often inspires further creativity, sometimes in a surprising form. For Tim Flach, a London-based animal photographer, the idea that some of his best works would be recreated by the art of Chinese embroidery came as a surprise.

On March 11, when the Silk Equus, a one-off double-sided silk embroidery tableau of Flach's most recognizable horseback photograph, was exhibited at London's China Design Center, it stunned every viewer in the room, including Flach, who saw the piece for the first time.

The Silk Equus' creator is Huang Linzhen, a 44-year-old Chinese female embroidery artist. With silk threads split into the thickness of one-sixteenth of a hair, of more than 80 hues, a variety of different stitching techniques and 50 days' hard work, Huang presented to the curious audience in London a unique recreation of the photograph, one that both meticulously captured the original details and also added a distinct texture to the image.

Flach was amazed by the diligent work. "The photo was taken in a millisecond, yet Huang's recreation took two months. The image was transformed in such a way that fully express the details," he says.

The photographer is best known for applying principles of human portraiture to his conceptual image of animals. The image - which highlighted the smooth back shape of two dark horses - was chosen from his 2008 collection Equus, a photographic study of the family of horses.

"Because of the subject matter, the embroidery almost makes the image, more real. I am honored to have Mrs Huang rework my image." Flach says.

Huang's embroidery style is called Su Xiu (Suzhou) embroidery, one of the four major regional styles of Chinese embroidery. Suzhou embroidery has a history of 2,000 years and is crafted in areas around Jiangsu province in East China. Typically working with natural themes like birds or animals, modern Suzhou embroidery also seeks inspiration from artwork with different cultural backgrounds to explore new artistic directions and to keep the ancient needle art alive.