Ziqi Chen

My thesis, Celestial Weaving Realm, is a conceptually, technically, and creatively rich textile project based on the following narrative of spirituality across time and culture.

The ancient imagination of the heavenly palace arose from a reverence for natural forces, a longing for ideal order, and a yearning for an eternal spirit. Before the advancement of scientific understanding, natural phenomena such as thunder, rain, celestial cycles, and cosmic shifts were regarded as divine expressions, and a heavenly palace was imagined as a sacred realm governing all things. The chaos and injustices of the earthly world compelled people to envision a perfect realm beyond reality, a paradise of justice and eternity. Religious influences and concepts—from Taoist heavens to Buddhist pure lands—further enriched humankind's grasp of the ethereal contours of a palace in the sky while fulfilling a desire for transcendence. At its core, these notions reflect humans' profound curiosity about the meaning of existence and a ceaseless pursuit of an infinite spirituality despite a finite life.

To the ancients, the heavenly palace symbolized the sublime fusion of the material and the spiritual. Its bounds were not defined by physical space but instead by the highest order of spiritual pursuit. Crystalline towers and radiant halls represented an ultimate aspiration for material beauty; harmonious spatial order echoed dreams of an ideal social structure. Immortal beings, freed of mundane restraints, expressed a longing to transcend the boundaries of mortal existence. These visions, understood as responses to the harshness of reality, sought to rise above suffering, awaken the spirit, and elevate the self. They reflect humanity's courage to knock at the door of infinite truth despite the limitations of human understanding.