Microorganism and catenary curves; towers, spheres and polyhedra; the architectural complexity of crystals; the sort of braiding and interweaving techniques employed in useful and cultural expressive constructs such as baskets, ropes or plaiting; tectonic plates and complex surfaces – these are just a few ideas that may come to your mind while looking at the pieces included in the event "Fiber Futures: Art from Japan" currently on at the TextielMuseum in Tilberg (until 7th February).
This showcase features 30 Japanese artists – both newcomers and established names – at the cutting edge of the fiber-art scene and it is incredibly inspiring for anybody interested not just in fabrics and textiles, but in art as well.
The covering wall hangings, sculptures and monumental installations included in the event produce complex surfaces and patterns, clusters and structural systems tackling cohesion and gravity, or intricate structures that wrap up over themselves.
The entire event is built on one dichotomy – tradition and innovation – that is perfectly summarised by a Japanese saying stating "oshime kara uchū kaihatsu made", or "from nappies to the Space Age".
Textiles are indeed employed for the most basic human needs, but they also help developing cutting edge techniques employed in modern industries such as aerospace.
Materials favoured by the artists included in this event vary and include silk, silkworm cocoons, shibori panels, raw wool, paper, kasuri fabric and folded polyester. One interesting point to make is that the methods used by the artists featured show a deep respect for tradition as well as an openness to the latest weaving and dying technology.
In some cases specific techniques also assume a wider metaphorical meaning: folding evokes for example the continuous rhythm of a prayer for happiness, peace, abundance and good health, and could be interpreted as a way to express and restore the relationship between human beings and nature.
Ideas about nature and sustainability are reflected in many of the works, from a stony landscape by Kyoko Kumai recreated in stainless steel filament to Yasuko Iyanaga's "A Gift from the Sea: Air X" to works directly linked for their bright colours to the power of the sun.
Shigeo Kubota's "Shape of Red" is indeed inspired by the colors of the sun shining on nature at dusk and dawn; for his work "Feel the Wind" Fuminori Ono looked at an autumnal landscape with reds gradually transforming into yellows; Hiroko Watanabe's "Red Pulse" evokes instead in its ruby red shade a cascade of lava.
Inspired by William Morris and Eric Gill, weave planner Jun'ichi Arai creates pieces in which each selected fiber affects the next one, while all fibers are then affected by the twist of the yarn to create a rich fabric experience. Jun'ichi Arai's pieces included in this exhibition perfectly display the power of his experiments in which he employs metals and fabrics.
"Fiber Futures" includes indeed gold curtains by Jun'ichi Arai characterised by a flame-resistant fabric using monofilament yarns coated with an ultra-thin film of aluminum and epoxy resin. To create the shimmering effect, the artist employed a process called "melt off" that dissolves the aluminum coating from unprotected areas of the surface.
Naomi Kobayashi works instead with Japanese paper, cotton and paper thread, meditating upon the themes of death and regeneration and pondering on natural cycles.
Reiko Sudō uses flexible materials that range from silk, washi paper, jute and hemp to steel wire, synthetic fiber and even recycled cocoons. Co-founder, CEO and design director of Nuno Corporation of Tokyo, one of the world's most innovative textile companies employing traditional materials and reinterpreting them with cutting-edge technologies, Sudō's piece includes twisted and embroidered cotton sewn in different complex combinations to form an intricate configuration.
Not all the works in the exhibition are as technically complex, but each of them is made employing a unique technique: Akio Hamatani's "W-Orbit" consists in countless threads of the same length hung from a metal ring four metres in diameter. Due to the varying distance, the threads form an impressive W-shape.
The indigo blue in this work is a nod to tradition, in the same way as "SPA!" by Rei Saitō, made from colourful pages in a magazine format, pays homage to Japanese crafts, while Tetsuo Kusama's "Horizon" is a study of vibrant colours divided in three parts and held in place by a clever pleating construction. 
Other works directly borrow from the artists' personal experiences: Emiko Nakano's "Cambodian Letters", letters printed on old Japanese papers cut into strips and then woven, are directly connected with her trips to Cambodia, Brazil, and the South American Andes areas.
The thousands of zigzag stitches, folded objects and pleats in the exhibition express a fascination for craft, needlework and repetition: tactile invitations to visitors, Atsuko Yoshioka's work entitled "Construction for a String Quartet" and Hitomi Nagai's waffle structure "Birth" are based on the aggregation and accumulation of materials.
Other creations in this varied presentation explore poetic themes such as transience and the passage of time, but also display direct links with famous works of art: delicate structures like Tomoko Arakawa's stainless steel installation "Prayer for Time" calls for example to mind Bruno Munari's piece "Concavo/Convesso".
The exhibition, organised by the International Textile Network Japan in collaboration with Tama Art University (Tokyo), and led by Hiroko Watanabe, artist, chairman of the ITNJ and professor emeritus of Tama Art University, has been touring the world for a few years now, starting from Tokyo and arriving in New York, San Francisco, Helsinki and Paris. Hopefully it will keep on visiting other cities, bringing with it a very special message – textile art can be a wonderful way to create superb, sumptuous, sensuous and ambitious installations.
Image credits for this post
1, 2, 3, 5. Exhibition overview; Photography: Josefina Eikenaar/TextielMuseum
4. "Tsuranaru (Range): Cambodian Letters" by Emiko Nakano, 2008
Material: Japanese paper, silk
Dimension: h170 x w280 cm
Photography: Courtesy of the International Textile Network Japan
6. Flame-resistant curtain by Jun'ichi Arai, 2005
Material: polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) film, vacuum-deposited aluminum
Dimension: h360 x w360 cm
Photography: Mareo Suemasa, Courtesy of the International Textile Network Japan
7. "Birth" by Hitomi Nagai, 2011
Material: cotton waffle weave
Dimension: h175 x w110 x d5 cm
Photography: Josefina Eikenaar/TextielMuseum
8. "Umi kara no okurimono: Air, X" (A Gift from the Sea: Air, X) by Yasuko Iyanaga, 2010
Material: silk, steel wire, tie-dye
Dimension: h50 x ø130 cm
Photography: Courtesy of the International Textile Network Japan
9. "Horizon" by Tetsuo Kusama, 2010
Material: double weave cotton
Dimension: h200 x w300 cm
Photography: Courtesy of the International Textile Network Japan
10. "SPA!" (magazine) by Rei Saitō, 2007
Material: lead, batik
Dimension: h30 x w42 x d21 cm
Photography: Courtesy of the International Textile Network Japan
11. "Feel the Wind" by Fuminori Ono, 2010
Material: chemical pulp, chemical dyes, polyurethane finish
Dimension: h250 x w350 cm
Photography: Mareo Suemasa, courtesy of the International Textile Network Japan
12. "Aka no kodō" (Red Pulse) by Hiroko Watanabe, 1999
Material: cotton, metal fiber
Dimension: h129 x w98 x d25 cm
Photography: Mareo Suemasa, courtesy of the International Textile Network Japan
13. "Shape of Red I" by Shigeo Kubota, 2009
Material: nylon, sisal hemp
Dimension: h230 x ø180 cm
Photography: Courtesy of the International Textile Network Japan
14. Detail of "Orikata (Folded Form)" by Kazuyo Onoyama, 2006
Material: folded polyester
Dimension: h200 x w300 cm
Photography: Josefina Eikenaar/TextielMuseum
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