As Christmas day approaches, the Western world is waist-deep in an onslaught of holiday tchotchkes, decorations, and costumes that accompany the festive season. The source of this red, white, and green wave isn’t the North Pole, however—it’s the Asian factory system. In 2014, as part of their annual expedition, nomadic research studio Unknown Fields Division traveled up the supply chain to “Vietnam, China and beyond,” with a team consisting of studio co-founder Liam Young (who partnered with John Cale to create the world’s first drone orchestra) and designer Kate Davies. With the help of embedded photographer Toby Smith who edited the piece, the resulting documentary “Christmas card,” Xmas Unwrapped, explores the less-than-festive factories where holiday baubles are made.
Videos by VICE
Released as part of the larger World Adrift documentary, Smith and Unknown Fields Division are producing about the supply chains of consumable products, Xmas Unwrapped is a “satirical Xmas card” that showcases behind-the-scenes footage of workers repetitively sewing, gluing, and packaging Santa hats, plastic Christmas trees, and shiny ornaments.
“Yiwu in China is not only home to the world’s largest wholesale commodity market but also many of the ‘Just in Time’ factories that produce seasonal or trending products,” Smith says in the Xmas Unwrapped video description, noting that the piece is “more of a jab at Western consumption than Chinese production” because “Christmas consumables are produced in summer ready for wholesale, packaging and shipping to principally Western markets.” Set to a cheery rendition of Jingle Bells sung by the Chinese Kids Choir and intercut with Chinese shopping centers and decoration stores, Smith’s documentation of the process contrasts sharply with the dingy factory floors that are decidedly not part of Santa’s factory.
Stills from Xmas Unwrapped
Visit Smith’s website here for more of his video and photography work, and find out more about Unknown Fields Division here.
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