Chinese washi paper
Seen as a relic of the China’s rural past, Kaidangku translates as open-crotch pants. These where used in a pre-diaper area and can still be seen in some rural communities worn by mostly male infants. It had become an indicator of socioeconomic status in the new China when, especially prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the city-government campaigned for cleaner public spaces and ordered parents to diaper their children at least for the duration of the Games. As they also banned wearing pyjamas by adults in public space.
This piece is like the Tangzhuang APEC jacket made from washi paper and scripted in Japanese from the Edo period. The text recounts the court record of a verdict that sends a convict into exile. So the clothing defines through its surface the act of leaving as a punishment and is in its own design censored from public appearance.