“Chiếu cói” is a traditional Vietnamese mat crafted from dyed and woven sedge stems, known as cói in Vietnamese. Its affordability, portability, and breathability have made chiếu a staple household item for many Vietnamese families. It serves as a backdrop for various aspects of daily life: conversations, feasts, and ceremonies—whether marital, religious, or spiritual—as well as funerals, Lunar New Year celebrations, gambling, drinking, and casual dinners. Chiếu also plays a significant role in moments of rest, conception, childbirth, and child care. Even in death, the deceased are wrapped in chiếu, providing a temporary resting place. As such, chiếu embodies traditional Vietnamese values, reflecting heterosexual family structures, communal gatherings, and spirituality.

In this artistic exploration, Keith photographs themselves in various outfits, deconstructing and fragmenting elements of clothing, body, and expression through digital manipulation and tactile printing and weaving processes. These pixelated images are then imposed onto two life-size replicas of chiếu, transforming physicality and materiality to reimagine trans bodies within the realms of mythology and tradition. The act of weaving raises profound questions about the creation of the universe—who weaves the fabric of our reality or orchestrates our destinies? Such inquiry intricately connects the artist's actions to the rich history of chiếu.

Rather than being laid flat on the ground, these chiếu replicas are suspended, forming a grand self-portrait that embodies the artist's manipulation of identity. This arrangement invites a deeper reflection on the interplay between tradition and self-expression, encouraging viewers to contemplate the connections between their own narratives and the broader cultural tapestry.