The Cloth-holder No.1

Yitong Zhang & Anita Sarkezi

2025

TECU® Gold copper alloy, Deadstock silk, Cashmere, Polyester filament

300 x 250 x 22 mm

This work, collaboratively by Yitong Zhang and textile artist Anita Sarkezi, explores how two objects integral to universal ritualistic practices converse and communicate their symbolic meanings through their material characteristics.

The candleholder is crafted from TECU® Gold copper alloy salvaged from the Crown of Thorns sculpture on the spire of St. Michael’s Parish Church in Linlithgow. It has been transformed into a round concave form designed to hold and support. It is a structure hidden beneath the woven cloth, whose symmetrical pattern mimics the structural (as opposed to decorative) features of the Gothic church’s ceiling.

The work represents the intersection of static space and the continuity of time. It raises a question: Is a heritage landmark bound to retain its original status and function over time, or can it undergo an evolution that redefines its identity?