Graceful Fibre
I want to end the week on the mesmerising work of Japanese artist Mariko Kusumoto. Primarily a metalsmith, Kusumoto recently ventured into the world of textiles, working with translucent, gossamer fabric. The artist was brought up on the island of Kyushu in Japan where she lived in Koueiji temple where her father was a Buddhist priest. She would spend her days “playing on the grounds and finding pieces of relics, such as shards of ceramic and parts of tools that had been buried for many, many years.”
“work reflects various, observable phenomena that stimulate my mind and senses; they can be natural or man-made. I ‘reorganize’ them into a new presentation that can be described as surreal, amusing, graceful, or unexpected. A playful, happy atmosphere pervades my work.”
Kusumoto pieces are made from a variety of materials such as silk, polyester, wire, stamens and sterling silver. Some of her pieces contain trinkets inside inspired by the things she would find on the island growing up.
Her wearable art is inspired primarily by the flora and fauna of the sea and the land. The objects are made from polyester or silk and have been heat-set into a permanent shape. Her flowers are made using the technique tsumami zaiku (an origami folding technique) in which she designed the patterns and added shibori dying techniques.
