Jiaxi shi.
WOODWORMS. LIMESTONE SCULPTURES AND SNOW OYSTER MUSHROOMS.
Designer and recent graduate of Parsons School of Design, Jiaxi Shi, introduces a compelling visual in her “Touchy Touchy” collection by cleverly exploring the connections found throughout life and the impact of touch. One design in particular seemingly resembles woodworms, Artist Renzo Buttazo’s limestone sculptures and snow oyster mushrooms.
Her designs don’t merely replicate these forms, but rather breathe more life into them as one can create tactile and visual connections that feel both familiar and innovative. These emulations are deliberate choices made to help highlight her artistic vision, and the impact of her creative work, merging the worlds with the crafted excellence of design.
The first point of emulation lies in the likeliness to woodworms, creatures known for their segmented, cylindrical bodies that move with a subtle undulating rhythm. In their larval stage, woodworms exhibit a natural design of smooth, rounded segments, connected by flexible joints, allowing fluidity in their movement. This segmented motion is mirrored in Shi’s design, where the fabric is fashioned into soft, undulating layers that mimic the form and movement of the woodworm’s body.
Shi captures the essence of these creatures, not by direct imitation but through a translation of their form onto the fabric. Her design moves with the model, just as the segments of a woodworm shift as it navigates its wooden environment, suggesting a garment that is alive, responding to the body’s mobility.
The constructed and layered pieces echo the way the woodworms interact with their surroundings. Each rounded segment of the garment features sinuous lines and soft, rounded shapes that create a sense of continuous motion, as if the design itself were alive. There is a special quality to the design; the invitation to reach out and touch, much like the curious impulse one feels when observing the movements and presence of bugs we see and find.
One very interesting connection to make to this piece involves appreciating the craft of Limestone Artist Renzo Buttazzo, who is renowned for his ability to transform limestone into sculptures that explore the balance between mass and void. His pieces often feature solid forms with carefully carved subtractions, creating a tension between fullness and emptiness. In his own words, Buttazzo strives to make “the unseen visible”, revealing the hidden beauty within the stone. Shi’s design echos this. At first glance, it presents a bold, structured silhouette that commands attention. Yet, upon closer inspection, the garment reveals another factor: an exposed back, a void that contrasts sharply with the fullness of the fabric.
This interplay of presence and absence invites viewers to juggle the spaces within and around the body, much like Buttazzo’s sculptures encourage a deeper engagement with space and form. Jiaxi Shi’s piece captures the same sense of fluid stillness that defines Artist Renzo Buttazzo’s work, suggesting movement even in its stoic state.
The final layer of how Parsons Graduate, Jiaxi Shi’s Piece emulates art and nature, comes from a more grounded perspective: Snow Oyster Mushrooms. These fungi are known for their smooth, fleshy texture, which gives them a velvet like appearance. Their caps curve, stack, and fold in a way that is both organic and sculptural. The texture of this garment is translated into its fabric, resulting in a piece that looks soft, bouncy and almost edible.
The overlapping layers of material mimic the way the mushroom caps grow, one atop the other, creating a cascading effect that is both luxurious and earthy. The garments surface invites the touch, evoking the sensation of running one’s fingers over the smooth, pillowy caps of the oyster mushrooms. This quality adds another dimension to the design, making it not only visually pleasing but also sensually engaging.
These emulations work together to create a design that is richly layered, both visually and conceptually. Jiaxi Shi’s piece becomes a dialogue between the natural world and human creativity, a garment that blurs the lines between art, fashion, and nature.
The influence of woodworms is seen in rhythmic segmentation and movement; Artist Renzo Buttazzo’s sculptural philosophies are echoed in the interplay of mass and void; and the tactile appeal of Snow Oyster Mushrooms is felt in the texture and layering of the fabric. This design seemingly lives and breathes with its environment, much like the natural and artistic forms it emulates.
