Bringing Denim Portraits to Life – Three Soul Fragments – Taipei City 2025
May 20th, 2025
Bringing Denim Portraits to Life – Three Soul Fragments
Project Overview:
This is an artistic experiment about memory, imagination, and regeneration a creative collaboration with Levi’s Taiwan.
I deconstructed several pairs of vintage Levi’s jeans,
transforming them into three wearable portrait masks.
Each mask is a reconstruction of memory, the birth of a character,
and the opening of a new chapter.
The inspiration came from three simple, real questions:
- If you could upcycle an old pair of Levi’s jeans, how would you do it?
- Do you own a pair of vintage Levi’s? What’s the story behind it?
- If denim jeans could symbolize a superpower, what would it be?
I collected answers from friends and hand-stitched their words into the fabric of each mask, they became eyes, lips, expressions, fragments of a soul. These three masks are reused denim, but more than that, they are imagined soul fragments. They come from the forest, the water, and the rock, carrying forgotten dreams, and words once held back. Behind each mask is a quiet force, the weight of memory, the freedom of imagination, and the potential of clothing as a vessel for emotion.
This is an exploration of reconstruction, and an invitation to listen deeply. When fabric becomes more than fabric, it begins to speak, to breathe.
The Game Weaver｜Water
He is always in motion, his hair flaring like ocean spray, drifting weightlessly with imagination. This character is pieced together with layered denim fragments, symbolizing the freedom and creativity of childhood. He is water, a game, a dream’s shape, always shifting, never defined.
“To up-cycle an old pair of Levi’s, I’d turn my jeans into a skirt.”
The Time Traveler｜Grass
Light as the wind, he quietly moves through the seams of time. His features are formed from dismantled Levi’s details, threads, labels, and buttons that spread like wild grass. He’s a tangle of past, present, and future, a living memory in motion.
“If Levi’s jeans gave me a superpower, it would be time travel, for their versatility, and for how they’ve lasted through decades.”
The Dream Collector｜Rocks
He carries layers of Levi’s leather patches and words on his back, like a treasure chest carved by time. His face is built from fragments of history. His eyes glow with longing, always searching for the untold memories behind what we wear.
“To have infinite life Levi’s, eternal and unbreakable.”
Collaboration & Credits
Artist: Hung Chi
Brand Partner: Levi’s Taiwan
Interview Participants: Friends and contributors from Taiwan and New York
Photography Support: Rye Nature Center Team
Photographer: Aaron Kirk
Hairstylist: Mark Alan
Special thanks to everyone who shared their memories and dreams, and to Levi’s Taiwan & Ilona, with heartfelt gratitude.
丹寧肖像活起來：三個靈魂碎片
企劃簡介：
這是一場關於「記憶、想像與再生」的藝術實驗，也是一場與 Levi’s Taiwan 合作的創作對話。
我拆解了數條舊的 Levi’s 丹寧褲，
把它們變成三張可穿戴的肖像面具，
每一張面具都是一段回憶的重組、
一個角色的誕生，
也是開啟了新的章節。
這次創作的靈感來自三個真實而簡單的問題：
1.如果你可以改造一件舊的 Levi’s 牛仔褲，你會怎麼做？
2.你擁有一條古著 Levi’s 嗎？那背後有什麼故事？
3.如果牛仔褲象徵一種超能力，那會是什麼？
我蒐集了許多朋友的回答，把這些話語變成縫線，親手縫進每一張面具的肌理裡。它們是眼睛、是嘴唇、是表情，也是靈魂的碎片。
這三張面具是「再利用的丹寧」，也是「充滿想像的靈魂碎片」。
他們來自森林、來自水面與岩石，帶著你曾經遺忘的夢、和那些想說卻沒說出口的話。每一張面具背後，都藏著一種力量、回憶的重量、想像的自由，以及服裝作為情感容器的可能性。
這是一場關於重塑的實驗，也是一次關於傾聽的邀請。
當布料不再只是布料，它開始說話，開始呼吸。
角色介紹
靈魂角色1：遊戲編織者｜水
他總是流動，髮絲如浪花般張揚，彷彿整個人都在隨想像力漂浮。
這個角色由不同層次的單寧碎片拼接而成，象徵著童年的自由與創造。
他是水，是遊戲，是夢的形狀，不斷流轉、不被定義。
「我會把牛仔褲改成裙子！」
靈魂角色2：時空漫步者｜草
輕盈如風，總在時空的縫隙間悄然移動。
他的五官由拆解後的 Levi’s 細節拼成，縫線、標籤、鈕扣如草一般自由蔓延。他是過去、現在與未來的交錯體，是一種流動的記憶。
他的身體柔韌、靈巧，像草一樣生長，也像記憶般頑強。
「如果穿上Levi’s牛仔褲並擁有超能力，那會是穿越時間與空間，因為它們的百搭，也存在了幾十年。」
靈魂角色3：夢想收集者｜岩
他背上堆疊著一塊塊 Levi’s 的皮標與文字，像一座被時間雕刻的收藏盒。
他的臉由歷史構成，雙眼閃爍著對故事的渴望，彷彿永遠在搜尋衣物背後未說完的記憶。
「擁有無限生命，來自不朽的 Levi’s 是永恆的。」
創作媒材與技術
•回收 Levi’s 牛仔褲
•手縫結構、剪接、立體縫製
•每張面具皆為可穿戴式雕塑
•手寫紙條內容皆為真實受訪者
展覽與影像紀錄
拍攝地點：Rye Nature Center, New York
三張面具分別於「岩石、水面與森林」中拍攝，象徵角色的精神性。
合作與致謝
藝術家｜Hung Chi
合作品牌｜Levi’s Taiwan
訪談參與者｜多位來自台灣與紐約的受訪者
拍攝協力｜Rye Nature Center 團隊
photographer: Aaron Kirk & hairstylist: Mark Alan
特別感謝每一位分享回憶與想像的人以及Levi’s Taiwan & Ilona
