LV CUN: Love with Irregular Embroidery

lf you have an opportunity to appreciate Silver Jewelry and Blue & White Porcelain, a piece of artwork made with a special embroidery technique, characterised by randomness, that has won the national top art award, you will be impressed by its delicacy and exquisiteness.

lt was created by Lv Cun, a third generation practitioner of this random embroidery technique. Random embroidery is a graceful Chinese art designated as lntangible Cultural Heritage, which“draws” beautiful images with thousands of freeform threads.

Lv Cun, born in an artistic family in Danyang of Zhejiang province, has inherited and innovated this random embroidery from his grandfather, Master Lv Fengzi, who is known for being a master painter considered the “Michelangelo of the East”. Lv's works have gained numerous international awards around the world, and due to his unique skill and delicate artistry, he was awarded the title of “Craftsmen” by both UNESCO and Jiangsu Province.

Random embroidery, initiated in the Zhengze Girl's Vocational School in Danyang, combines the mediums of embroidery and painting. Thetechnique breaks away from the common and traditional framework of closed needles and lining up threads. Lv uses oblique and crossing lines of different colours of thread, layering them to form fi gures, animals and scenery.

ln this method not only is uniformity discouraged, but also threads other than silk are welcomed. 'Random embroidery' methods are often used in silk embroideries helping them to resemble Western oil paintings, bringing greater expressiveness to the pieces.

Lv insisted that he could not gain his achievements without his wife Lv Qing's support. Lv has created much of his work modelled on his wife, some of which have even won gold medal prizes at home and abroad.

Lv said that “embroidery needs passion but in a slow and rhythmic way. Threading the needle for hundreds of thousands of times, you have to bear the loneliness and maintain your enthusiasm to fi nish a piece of work after several months, or even a year, which is very different from painting”.