Naarm/Melbourne-based designer and maker Phong Chi Lai, working under the studio name Studio PCL, specialises in contemporary quilts and soft sculptures. Using an intuitive, free-hand approach to improv patchwork, he utilises upcycled deadstock fabrics and natural dyes to build complex compositions. His practice embraces traditional techniques like hand-quilting and assemblage, intentionally leaving room for chance encounters in the making process.

Phong draws inspiration from folk art and modern masters like Paul Klee and Louise Bourgeois, celebrating pieces where the resourcefulness of the maker is clearly evident.

Before establishing his textile practice in Australia in 2018, Phong worked as a shoe designer and maker. A pivotal period working with textile-based social enterprises across Asia deeply reinforced his artisan ethos, heavily shaping his current dedication to considered, slow craftsmanship.

“I leave room for the chance encounter arising in the natural process – the signature of the Unknown Craftsman. My influences range from the Quilters of Gee’s Bend to folk and ethnic craft, in particular textile works where the hand of the maker is evident.”