About
Caddie Aiw is an artist, tailor and educator based in Singapore.
With over 30 years of experience in garment-making, she brings a strong understanding of material, structure and craftsmanship to her creative practice. Her work bridges fashion, textile art and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), exploring how the body’s meridian pathways can inspire new forms of art, well-being and self-care.
After completing a three-year TCM course and practising for more than 15 years, Caddie developed a commitment to sharing accessible health knowledge. Her artistic practice provides a platform for encouraging audiences to care for their physical and mental well-being. She believes that maintaining good health through simple self-care practices can improve quality of life and help reduce unnecessary physical and financial burdens.
Drawing on her postgraduate research and long-term practice in TCM, Caddie integrates the philosophies of qi, yin–yang balance and the five elements into tactile artworks. Through sewing, assembling and sculpting textiles, she transforms traditional knowledge into contemporary forms that encourage healing, reflection and a deeper awareness of the body.
Her recent body of work includes soft sculptures, wearable artworks, functional massage tools and textile diagrams inspired by the body’s meridian system. By combining technical craftsmanship with holistic principles, Caddie reimagines the body as a living landscape of energy.
The Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Well-Being and Self-Care
This project focuses on promoting daily well-being and self-care through functional and wearable artworks.
Each artwork incorporates magnetic beads designed to interact with the body’s meridian pathways, based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles.
Materials are developed through sewing, tailoring, soft sculpture, construction and wearable art techniques. The artworks include functional objects, soft sculptures, wearable pieces, massage tools and interactive installations.
Magnetic beads are incorporated into selected works as a material element that connects the artworks to the research into TCM meridian pathways and self-care practices.
Through the combination of textile-based craft, sculpture and functional design, the project explores how traditional knowledge can be translated into contemporary fine art forms.
The works are intended to encourage awareness of the body, support circulation and promote balance between yin and yang. By integrating art, functionality and TCM-inspired self-care practices, the project aims to provide accessible tools that people can incorporate into their daily routines to support their overall well-being.
Research methodology and theoretical framework
This research is grounded in the principles and practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It investigates TCM theories, including the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, Qi, and the meridian system, and translates this knowledge into contemporary fine arts practice.
Through research, experimentation, and art-making, TCM concepts are interpreted through functional and wearable artworks that explore the relationship between the body, well-being, and self-care.
The research therefore establishes a connection between theoretical knowledge and creative practice, using art as a means to communicate and explore TCM principles in an accessible and experiential way.
Sharon Hardjono
Deanna Ng
Chen Shitong
Yin Chua
Ashley Hi
Brenda Lee
