shougong

[shougong]

Skirt, China, Early 20th century. Silk, cotton; plain weave, embroidered. L: 39.5 inches, W: 73.5 inches. TM 1990.28.1. Gift of Clara-Jane Shaull from the collection of Robert Schnepfe Shaull.

[shougong]

Another process video, this time of yuzen dyeing - a type of hand painting using resist pastes to fill outlines and areas. 

[shougong]

A video showing the process of kyoukechi itajime, or clamp-resist board dyeing. The final reveal at 3:20 is worth waiting for even if you can't understand the Japanese narration. 

[shougong]

Back in September, I attended the Textile Society of America's 13th Biennial Symposium, Textiles and Politics. One presentation I looked forward to was Rowland Rickett's "Pastoral or Political? Art/Work, Public Engagement, and Indigo Farming". I've posted before about Rowland Ricketts' work here, and his recent projects are just as exciting. IndiGrowing Blue, as described on the project's Facebook page

is a participatory art project that through the growing and processing of Japanese indigo (Polygonum tinctorium) aims to explore our relationship to our raw materials and the environment from which they come. 

IndiGrowing Blue started in 2010 and is ongoing, with special events organized around the transplanting, harvesting, and processing of the indigo. 

He shared photos of himself and the local community harvesting indigo in Bloomington, and went on to discuss the exhibit "Fields of Indigo" at the Kranner Art Museum. Fresh indigo plants were brought into galleries and hung to dry to demonstrate their change in color, and dried plants carpeted the floor of another gallery for visitors to participate in winnowing the leaves from the plants (see first photo above). 

The gallery had a live sound stream set up, which tied in with sound streams in the indigo field in Bloomington and another in Tokushima, Japan on the webpage of related project, "I am Ai, We are Ai" (ai being Japanese for indigo). In Japan, traditional indigo dyers were invited to choose their favorite shade and dye a length of cloth. The lengths were cut up and put on display in locations that were once important to the indigo trade, but might now be parking lots or malls. Visitors were invited  to cut a circle of their favorite shade and create a button to wear. The strips of dyed cloth with their many holes were left up for the determined period of time, gaining more holes as new visitors arrived. Rowland Ricketts wore the button covered in his favorite cloth to his presentation for the TSA Symposium. 

[shougong]

Curator’s Pick: Lee Talbot

Fabric for Crown Princess’ summer uchigi (outer robe) Japan, 20th century Silk gauze with discontinuous supplementary weft patterning Courtesy of Hyoji Kitagawa Gauze is a sheer fabric that helps keep you cool in the summer. Fine silk gauze is extremely expensive, however, because it is very difficult and time-consuming to weave. This silk gauze was woven in Kyoto’s prestigious Tawaraya Workshop to make a summer uchigi (outer robe) for Crown Princess Masako of Japan.

Curator’s Pick: Our curators are experts in textiles from around the world, and we’re asking them to pick a few of their favorites to share.  

[shougong]

Printed shibori. Late 19th century.

[shougong]

A peek into conservation at the Freer Gallery in Washington, DC, including the remounting of a painting by 16th century artist Wen Zhengming and research into a meteoritic dagger made for Jahangir. 

[shougong]

Focusing on Japanese woven bamboo, over 70 beautiful pieces will be displayed in this installation, including baskets, screens, trays, containers, accessories, hand warmers, and a chair. Among the works on view are pieces by basket makers who have been designated Living National Treasures.Texture and Tradition: Japanese Woven Bamboohighlights works from the Lutz Bamboo Collection and gifts from Paul M. Hoff III and Hazel W. Hoff in memory of Paul M. Hoff Jr.

Texture and Traditionis located in the Walter + Mona Lutz Gallery, a gallery on the level 5 of the North Building designated for bamboo works from China, Japan, and Korea.

On view through July 28, 2013 at the Denver Art Museum

(via Texture & Tradition: Japanese Woven Bamboo)

I hope my friends in Denver will find the time to visit this exhibit, as well as All That Glistens: A Century of Japanese Lacquer and the upcoming Irresistible: Multicolored Textiles from Across Asia. 

[shougong]

Amazing thread embroidery showing at Hansangsoo Embroidery Museum,  Seoul

[shougong]

Traditional Donglim knotted accessories from Korea

[shougong]

I took a tour of the White Oak Cone denim mill in Greensboro, NC.  I put together this video to present back to my design and buying teams at Anthropologie.

[shougong]

Q & A: Scottish Samplers from the Whitman Sampler Collection

Chances are, you’ve seen the traditional yellow “Sampler” box of Whitman’s chocolates in drugstores before. But you may not know that the Philadelphia-based chocolate company amassed a vast collection of actual samplers, or...

[shougong]

I did some shopping at Metersbonwe in Harbin, but didn't realize they have a museum in Shanghai!

We visited the Metersbonwe Museum in Shanghai this week. Metersbonwe is one of the largest and most influential fashion groups in China.

[shougong]

The Art of Gaman, showcasing some of the art created by Japanese-Americans in internment campus during WWII.

[shougong]

Golden Spider Silk Cape, on view through June 5 at the V&A

This display showcases the world’s largest pieces of cloth made from spider silk. It includes a brocaded shawl made from the silk of more than one million female golden orb-weaver spiders collected in the highlands of Madagascar, as well as a cape on public display for the first time. The display also features background material and a short film revealing the process. 

(via Golden Spider Silk Cape / Exhibitions & Galleries / Happenings / V&A Channel)

[shougong]

Photos from the Japan Society's recently completed show, "Fiber Futures".