A Cart of Lost Pineapples

Pineapple leaf fibre, natural dyed cotton yarn and silk yarn, linen

168x120cm

2023

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Referencing an archival image of buffalo carded loaded with pineapples on a journey to the Singapore dock, A cart of lost pineapples is handwoven textile with supplementary weft and tapestry technique which inspired from the traditional weaving technique by using pineapple fibre leaf, linen, onion skin, and gardenia-dyed cotton and silk. Cheong See Min’s residency at Gasworks in London, supported by The Institutum culminates in this artwork. She delves into histories of plants, fibres, and textiles that were exported from Malaysia to England during the 18th century British Malaya period. See Min developed a particular fascination with pineapple leaf fibre and gambier, which was planted and harvested by Chinese coolies. She furthered her investigation into the overlooked colonial history of this product depicted in the archival image and the collections from Kew Gardens, such as a bunch of pineapple leaf fibre and gambier cubes exhibited at the 1925 British Empire Exhibition.

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Photo Credit: Jules Lister