Wanderer | 2017 - 2018

Initiative project
Concept and Design: Xijing Xu
Photo and video credits: Xijing Xu

In contrast to industrially produced yoghurt, a naturally fermented batch of sour milk could also be prepared for producing new sour milk. This batch is called "starter culture". During Xijing’s search for different types of sour milk from all over the world, she was particularly fascinated by the form of the "storage“ or "container" of the cultures: cotton, handkerchiefs or even textiles. The transformation of a preservation form of the cultures broke the limitation both of time and space, while the varieties of preservation’s form could be considered as extension of the culture’s vitality and their living range.

Inspired by it, Xijing carried the sour milk, which is as a starter culture for a new production cycle reusable, in certain forms on textiles. The shapes are presented as graphics or ornaments that visualize the bacteria involved in the fermenting process. The squares are measured as a unit for the culture storage, which can easily be cut off and used again as a starter platform for new sour milk.

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