Friday, August 27, 2010

Lecture: Yoshiko on "Art & Design: case studies from Japan"(23 Sep, NZ)

click on image to enlarge

"Scarf" shibori exhibition (12 Sept, Paddington NSW)



Members of WSN Australia and New Zealand (WSN A/NZ) invite you to "SCARF, an exhibition of shaped resist dyed scarves and shawls held at Barometer Gallery. Opening reception is Sept 12, @4:00p. Yoshiko Wada, President of WSN, will be in attendance.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

8th ISS in HONG KONG! (Dec 2011)



We're taking it to HONG KONG!

Check out the latest on our beta site: 8iss.wordpress.com

Our 8th International Shibori Symposium is now in the planning stages. We are excited to announce our collaboration with the Institute of Textiles & Clothing of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

If you'd like to get involved at the ground level, or you have some suggestions to give the Programming Committee, and/or you're interested in Presenting, Exhibiting, giving a Workshop, or making any proposals (venues, exhibition themes, etc)-- let's hear it. We're ready.

(photo credit: hong kong skyline, by flickr:kevinpoh. Courtesy of creative commons license)


Thursday, August 19, 2010

Buy It! Le Tissage Aux Cartons dans L'Egypte Ancienne (Cardweaving in Ancient Egypt)

If you have any interest in cardweaving, do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy of this book.

Cardweaving in Ancient Egypt is the English translation of the 1916 publication Le Tissage Aux Cartons dans L'Egypte Ancienne. This English edition, translated by Barbara Shapiro - a TSA Board member and longtime WSN member - is available in handsome book form and includes helpful illustrations and color images to accompany a very comprehensive text.

ABOUT. Le Tissage Aux Cartons by Arnold van Gennep and Gustave Jequier was originally published in 1916. S
ome of its conclusions—including those about the Ramses sash—created considerable controversy. The book describes and categorizes many decorative motifs from Egyptian tombs, statues, and paintings; considers whether the patterns represent cardwoven bands; and provides instructions for creating many of the designs with cardweaving.

Cardweaving in Ancient Egypt. Illustrated with 6 color plates of cardwoven bands, 6 black and white plates, and 135 line drawings. Includes translation of entire original text, including extensive footnotes and notes on plates. 160 pages. $29.95. Available for purchase here

A serial translation of Le Tissage Aux Cartons originally appeared in the TWIST Journal in 2001–2003. Newly revised, the translation is now available as this book.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Masako Takahashi in "Illiterature" (Aug 24, Chico, CA)


Our friend, Masako, wrote in to tell us about her upcoming show:

I will have new work included in the exhibition "ILLITERATURE," at the Cal State University Chico Art Museum beginning August 24th. There will be a reception Thursday August 26 from 5-8pm. The curator, Mark Carter and I plus other artists will be there to speak briefly about the work. I welcome people to come see the show, and please introduce yourselves, I'd love to meet you. www.MasakoTakahashi.com


ILLITERATURE
August 24-Sept 19, 2010
*Opening Reception Aug 26 @5-8p

Curated by Mark Carter
University Art Gallery
Chico State University, Chico


Festival of Quilts (Aug 19-22, UK)






Festival of Quilts kicks off tomorrow!

From Twisted Thread's website:

Organised by Twisted Thread with the support of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles, FoQ has earned a reputation over the past seven years as the largest, most inspiring quilting event in Europe - with good reason! The Festival of Quilts boasts a host of gallery exhibitions from leading international artists and groups; the list for 2010 is outstanding as always and can be seen on our Features page. Over 250 companies will be selling all those hard-to-find patchwork and quilting supplies, so bring your shopping bags! We also offer The Quilt Academy with a stunning programme of nearly 100 masterclasses, workshops and lectures, and the Quick & Easy workshops provide another 166 sessions aimed at beginners.

Check out more details on Twisted Thread's website.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Ode â l’Oubli. Textile Books of the late Louise Bourgeois (NYT article)

I am always interested in connecting the textile world to the larger world of Art. And I've been thinking quite a bit about Louise lately as I write about contemporary art for my upcoming BORO book. If you have a moment, I think it's worth your time to read both the NY Times Art & Design article (link below) and a background piece by Lark Crafts on Louise Bourgeois' textile books.
-- Yoshiko


Louise Bourgeois, the famous French-born American artist, passed away this year in late May at the age of 98. Known most for her abstract, psychologically charged sculptures in bronze, marble, resin, and wood, she also worked extensively in fabric during her later years. Her relationship with her mother, a weaver, deeply influenced her work (to wit: her bronze spider sculptures). For an artist whose primary sources of inspiration were childhood memories, this return to textiles seems fitting as much of her youth was spent in the family’s tapestry restoration business.

One of these textile works of art (and the word syntax is chosen deliberately - foremost a work of art, one that happens to be made of textiles) is "Ode â l'Oubli" (2004), or "Ode to Forgetfulness," described as an "extraordinary and poignant object" in an excellent review by the New York Times. "Ode â l'Oubli" is a tactile diary composed of 36 fabric-on-fabric pages -- pieces snipped from Louise's clothes, some kept away in a storage closet, some dating as far back as 1920s. She cut, pinned or basted the pieces, which were then sewn into the final work by Mercedes Katz, a seamstress who has long worked with the artist.

More photos available in the Lark Creek article.




Tuesday, August 3, 2010

"To Dye For" Exhibition, De Young Museum, SF (July 31-Jan 9'11, CA)

Bravo to the De Young, whose recently opened epic exhibition, "To Dye For: A World Saturated in Color," has been scooped by some major fashion rags. “This is a textile-lovers exhibit,” said curator Jill D’Alessandro. De Young's press release here.

Click to see what WWD, Elle, Refinery 29 and Haute Living had to say.

ikat trench, Oscar de la Renta, c.2005
courtesy photo


From WWD:
“To Dye For: A World Saturated in Color” examines how cultures in Asia, Africa, South America and elsewhere over centuries have decorated fabrics by using tie-dye methods like knotting, bunching, stitching, stenciling, clamping, waxing or otherwise selectively blocking the absorption of color in fabric.

"Among other contemporary tie-dye examples is a synthetic fiber panel decorated using heat instead of dye by Japanese fabric artist Jun-ichi Arai, whose collaborations have included projects with Issey Miyake and Comme des Garçons. The Japanese tie-dye technique of shibori and its offshoots, which have thrived in the San Francisco Bay Area since the Sixties, are also featured, including works by Yoshiko I. Wada, Ana Lisa Hedstrom, Judith Content and Angelina DeAntonis."

A summary excerpt, reposted from Refinery29:
Besides the Met in NY, we love the de Young Museum in San Francisco for its retrospectives on fashion. In the past, they've featured retrospectives on Yves Saint Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, and a showcase of socialite Nan Kempner's closet. Well, the institution isn't disappointing with it's latest epic exhibition. Including over 50 costumes, the show will feature tie-dyed garments spanning the world, from tunics created in pre-Hispanic Peru in A.D. 500 and Mongolian rugs from the 15th century to gowns featured in Rodarte's spring '10 collection. The exhibition opens on July 31.

"To Dye For: A World Saturated in Color”
The de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Dates running: July 31, 2010-January 9, 2011

Monday, August 2, 2010

Book signing: Liza Dalby (8/5, Orinda CA)


Liza Dalby -- author of the classic best-seller, Geisha, and the only non-Japanese ever to have trained as a geisha -- will introduce her newest book, HIDDEN BUDDHAS, a contemporary novel with a heroine who is a fabric artist and designer in modern Japan. A love of fabrics is woven throughout this imaginative work.

Liza will be speaking about her career writing about Japan, including her work on Hidden Buddhas, at Orinda Books this Thursday. Hope you can check it out.


Liza Dalby Appearance Orinda Books
Thursday, August 5 @ 4:30p
more info