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| Japanese Sashiko Textiles at Plymouth |
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Major 'Japanese Sashiko Textiles' exhibition to travel to Plymouth this summer The first major British exhibition of Japanese Sashiko Textiles will go on display at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery on Saturday 31 July 2010. The show, which was launched at York Art Gallery in October 2009, presents traditional and contemporary textiles and garments, designed to decorate and protect the wearer both physically and spiritually. Entitled 'Japanese Sashiko Textiles', the exhibition presents a sense of time and place in which these works were created. The exhibition has been selected by textile artist Michele Walker whose research has been facilitated by a three year Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Fellowship. It is supported by the Esmeé Fairbairn Foundation, the Arts Council Yorkshire and Renaissance Yorkshire. Michele says: 'The objects have been chosen for the stories they tell. My research has taken place at a critical time when the last generation of (now elderly) makers is rapidly drawing to a close together with their traditional way of life and the disappearance of the natural landscape to which they belong.' The exhibition investigates two major aspects of Japanese sashiko. The first looks at the lives of women who made and wore sashiko. Until the mid twentieth century it was the traditional method of making work wear in fishing and farming areas throughout Japan. The makers were the cornerstones of communities but their lives passed unrecorded. The historical work in this exhibition dating from the nineteenth to mid twentieth century documents these women's achievements, perseverance and hardships. The second aspect focuses on the fact that the physical protection of sashiko garments was reinforced by the spiritual protection thought to be associated with the stitched patterns. Sometimes these 'talisman' took the form of small stitched symbols hidden on the inside of the garment, so as to protect vulnerable parts of the body, for example the neck and back. Or they may take on a more flamboyant character, as seen on the inside of fireman's garments that picture heroic images applied using tsutsugaki (freehand resist-dyed technique.) In total around 75 -100 garments and related objects, including videos and significant works from Japanese photographer, IWAYIMA Takeji (1920-1989) are featured in the exhibition. Most of the exhibits are being shown in the UK for the first time. Lenders include The Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, The Aikawa and Ogi Folk Museums, Sado Island, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Fukuoka City Museum and private collectors. Alongside the historical items are examples of more recent work inspired by sashiko. NUNO Corporation creates innovative textiles that combine traditional aesthetics with the latest technologies. Textile artist TOKUNAGA Miyoko hand stitches one-off fashion garments. She combines sashiko and sakiori techniques and has produced a special collection for this exhibition. The exhibition will be on display at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AJ from 31 July to 25 September. Opening hours will be 10am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturdays and Bank Holiday Mondays. Admission is free. The show will be backed by an extensive events and activities programme. Details will shortly be confirmed and will be made available at www.plymouthmuseum.gov.uk. Telephone enquiries can be made to 01752 304774. The Museum is hoping to hold a Symposium on Saturday 18 September. Speakers and the programme for the day are currently being finalised. If you would like to receive details when they become available please send your contact information in an email to museum@plymouth.gov.uk marked FAO: Marketing and Audience Development. |
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