COLLINS GALLERY
FEBRUARY 27-APRIL 10
Japanese Sashiko Textiles
Kimono (detail), © Japan Folk Crafts Museum
The Collins Gallery is the sole Scottish venue for this beautiful and comprehensive touring exhibition curated by Michele Walker for York Museums Trust and containing material from Japanese collections shown in the UK for the first time.
Sashiko - from ‘sashi’ (to stitch) and ‘ko’ (small) - is a technique similar to quilting, characterised by geometric patterns of white stitching on indigo-coloured cloth with motifs employed to denote the occupation and social status of the wearer. It evolved from a need to reuse and repair and was associated with workclothes worn throughout Japan until the mid-20th century.
Today Sashiko textiles are protected as Folklore Cultural Assets, categorised as ‘Mingei’, a term for traditional crafts integral to a community’s culture, made by and used by the people.
The exhibition documents the traditions of the technique as well as the lives of the makers - working class women from fishing and farming communities - through photographs, film and over 70 items dating from the mid-19th century.
Complementary to the historic material, textiles from the NUNO Corporation combine traditional aesthetics with the latest technologies, while Tokunaga Miyoko employs Sashiko in a collection of specially commissioned garments.
The show is accompanied by a symposium on Saturday February 27 and practical workshops on Sashiko and Shibori.
Collins Gallery
University of Strathclyde, 22 Richmond St.
Glasgow
Glasgow
0141 548 2558
M-F 10a-5p, Sa noon-4p (closed April 2-5)
www.collinsgallery.strath.ac.uk
