EN / JP / CN

[Designer]

Fleur van Dodewaard×Paper framing / Kyoshindo Inazaki [Story3] A line connecting long distances

The fusion of 150-year-old techniques and contemporary sensibilities through the Netherlands and Japan has resulted in the creation of a single work of art. Dodewaard’s unique approach, in which he used familiar materials to create a work that intersects photography, sculpture, and painting, and finally completed it with the use of photography, was made possible by the advanced skills of Kyoshindo Inazaki, a Japanese paper mounting artist, who was able to display 4.5 meters of thin washi paper.


In this work, painted wooden sticks were photographed and printed on washi paper, which was then joined horizontally into nine pieces using the techniques of tableware to create the appearance of a single line. The prints were commissioned to Awagami Factory, a Japanese paper manufacturer in Tokushima Prefecture. Dodewaard had previously come to know of the company through another project, and chose “Awagami” paper, which was developed in the pursuit of new technology while utilizing their traditional techniques, to achieve a beautiful finish that is also weather resistant. The paper was ordered from De Verbeelding, a print lab in the Netherlands, and printed under her supervision.

On the back of the washi paper on which the photo is printed, a technique called “Urauchi” is used to attach paper to reinforce the paper and prevent deformation. This is a technique unique to the art of tableware used for the surface and restoration of hanging scrolls and folding screens. The paper is glued together using a special glue, but the strength and expansion/contraction varies depending on the characteristics of the paper chosen, so the process is meticulous, and samples are used to verify the results.
Beautifully pieced together washi paper prints.

This work, which resembles a horizontal hanging scroll, is typical of Dodewaard, who has been influenced by Japanese art history, and also reflects her aim to bring new perspectives to familiar things. The vivid coloring of her works, regardless of this work, is impressive, and she explains the coloring of this work as follows.

“Life is made up of colors, and each color represents a fragment of an event or experience, and can be a stand-alone object, but when you connect them together, we realize the passage of time and the existence of different processes that lead to completion.”

This 4.5 meter long work was thus installed on the large wall of the monotone bedroom of TOKYO CRAFT ROOM. Normally framed with glass or other materials, the work is reinforced by backing the paper to prevent wrinkles and sagging, and attaching pieces of wood in between. Inasaki’s skill shines through here as well. The vivid colors jump into view at once, but the scroll-like atmosphere and the texture of the washi paper blend perfectly with the room’s setting.

Dordeward named this work “GRASS IN THE WIND”.

” “GRASS IN THE WIND” expresses the distance between Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where I live, and Nihonbashi Hamacho, Tokyo, where HAMACHO HOTEL is located. The name “GRASS IN THE WIND” is a line that connects the long distance between the two places, and is meant to suggest that the grass moves back and forth between the two places as if it were dancing in the wind. The name also reflects the production process of the COVID-19, in which we had many conversations online and via e-mail, without ever meeting face-to-face until the completion of the project.”

Once again, after the completion of the work, the two look back on their collaboration.

“It was a project that enriched my heart. It is always a pleasure to collaborate in Japan. It was a mixture of two different perspectives, mine on the designer’s side and Inasaki-san’s as the Hyogu craftsman. I know my approach is different from that of a traditional craftsman, but I have great respect for the handiwork of someone who has passed down history and techniques for five generations,” said Dordeward.

“We were unable to meet in person after all until the completion of the project due to the COVID-19, and as we continued to catch up online, we worked with a different type of artist than the ones we normally work with, such as a calligrapher and a Japanese painter. We spent a lot of time on how to incorporate the pure Japanese Hyogu techniques into the work and how to safely install it. In the end, I believe I was able to express myself with the techniques I have,” says Inasaki.

This project gave birth to the poetic phrase “GRASS IN THE WIND. Despite the frustration of not being able to meet face to face, we were able to think carefully and precisely and communicate our thoughts and ideas to each other. The work would not have been possible without this environment. A new wind of art gently blew into the TOKYO CRAFT ROOM, where functional items are already available.

Fleur van Dodewaard

フラー・ファン・ドーデワード

FLEUR VAN DODEWAARD (1983, The Netherlands) is a visual artist based in Amsterdam. Van Dodewaard operates within a triangle of photography, sculpture and painting. Through the exploration of these media she finds new ways of working with art-historical forms and there by challenges the  ‘art object’ and the way we look at things.Van Dodewaard studied THEATRE at the University of Amsterdam and FINE ARTS at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, before enrolling in the PHOTOGRAPHY department at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where she graduated in 2010. Her work has been shown in exhibitions all over the world; from Japan to Russia, Australia, United States and all over Europe. At the moment she receives an Established Artist Stipend from Mondriaan Fund, The Netherlands.

www.fleurvandodewaard.com/

Kyoshindo Inazaki

経新堂稲崎

Kyoshindo Inazaki is a traditional Japanese “Hyogu” company which has been established in Nihonbashi for about 180 years. “Hyogu” refers to shoji screens, fusuma doors, picture books, impulse screens, folding screens, pasted walls, hanging scrolls, scrolls and frames made of cloth or paper. The process of making them is called ‘hyosou’.And they  also specialise in the conservation and restoration of old works of art and craft.

www.kyoushindo.com/

“GRASS IN THE WIND” ART

“GRASS IN THE WIND” ART

Size:
W4500 D330 mm

Material:
WASHI papar with inkjet print, colored wood

Price:
ASK