This jacquard length was my interpretation of a Japanese working garment, shifu hanten, that was made from indigo-dyed paper yarns. I was very interested in the material and the labor behind this garment. Earth, like this shifu hanten, has gone through a lot of labor through time. Thus, I came up with an idea to make a fabric that records or witnesses the timeline of the earth.
Artwork made by weaving paper strips that were painted with watercolor and ink.
Close-up: abstract landscapes and japanese text 'mottainai' literally means wasteful or too good to waste
Jacquard length
Playing off the mottled surface of the shifu hanten, I used shrink yarns and gauzes to acheive the puckering texture. The texture of the fabric speaks to the handcrafted slubs of hand-twisted yarns. The subtle blue striping is in response to the variegated effect of natural indigo dye on the paper yarns.
The piece was displayed in a curated exhibition in the RISD museum. The garment in front is the shifu hanten that the piece was inspired from.
Thanks!
