Textile technology has long been central to the activities of industrialists, engineers, activists, politicians and artists. Silk workers of Shandong, China, arguably created the first spinning wheel as early as the 5th century BCE. In early 20th-century India, Mahatma Gandhi popularised the collapsible charkha spinning wheel that prized human labour over industrialisation. In 1970s Hong Kong, Nan Fung Textiles significantly increased productivity with open-end spinning technology.

This thematic display from the CHAT Collection recounts these select moments in the evolution of textile technology and provides historical context for understanding the artworks on view in CHAT’s seasonal exhibition.