Overview
 

Springish was a multidisciplinary Lunar New Year project exploring the contemporary reinterpretation of Chinese cultural heritage through food, craft, visual art and performance. Centred on the Year of the Snake, the programme brought together creative food practitioners, artists, musicians and traditional craft practitioners to create an immersive and participatory cultural experience.

Springish approached presenting Lunar New Year traditions as living cultural materials that could be reinterpreted through contemporary creative practice. Food, textile craft, visual art and performance were placed in dialogue, allowing audiences to encounter Chinese cultural references through multiple senses and forms of participation.
 

Food as a Curatorial Medium
 

Food formed a central part of the project and was treated as a medium for storytelling, cultural memory and audience interaction.
 

Creative food designer Leyu Li, chef Qian and Chinese pastry brand Yang Xin Yuan developed a series of works inspired by the visual and symbolic language of the snake. These included snake cucumber, snake-shaped pastries and eggs, python-patterned food, snake-like tanghulu and edible calligraphy on biscuits.
 

Through shape, texture, flavour and presentation, familiar festive ingredients and traditional culinary references were transformed into playful contemporary forms. Eating therefore became part of the curatorial experience, connecting visual symbolism, cultural heritage and social interaction.
 

Natural Dyeing and Participatory Craft
 

The public programme included a Natural Dyeing and Tie-Dyeing Workshop led by TearSlaly.
 

The workshop introduced participants to Sumu dyeing, a traditional natural dyeing technique using sappanwood. The dye is extracted from the heartwood of Caesalpinia sappan, which contains the natural pigment brazilin and can produce a range of red tones. Historically, sappanwood dyeing was used in textile production in China and was associated with court textiles during the Tang Dynasty.
 

During the workshop, participants created their own tie-dyed textile pieces inspired by the Year of the Snake. The activity provided a direct, hands-on way to engage with traditional dyeing knowledge while reinterpreting it through contemporary design and personal experimentation.
 

Art and Performance
 

Springish also incorporated contemporary artworks, music and live performance, creating an environment in which visual art, craft, food and sound operated together rather than as separate disciplines.
 

The project presented artistic practices informed by Chinese textile traditions, natural processes and experimental image-making, alongside music and performance. These elements expanded the event beyond a workshop or festive gathering, positioning it as a multidisciplinary cultural programme in which different creative practices could overlap and respond to one another.