Jana DaSilva Lage
February, 2006
Title of Show
Shibori—from Arimatsu to Anchorage
Medium
Shibori—translated means “shaped-resist dyed silk”
First Friday Reception
Friday, February 3, 2006 from 5:30 to 8 PM
Artist Statement
Shibori , the collective term in Japanese for stitch-dye, fold-dye, pole wrap-dye, is translated into English as shaped-resist dyeing. In traditional Japanese Shibori art, which dates back to the 8th century, the artist creates a design; the cloth is stitched, bound, resisted, wrapped or gathered by hand, and then dyed in natural dyes such as indigo.
A class in Arashi Shibori, a pole-wrap technique, was my introduction to working with silk. I enjoyed it so much that I have continued to develop my painting and dying techniques by taking classes. I was inspired to experiment with Shibori techniques after a trip to Arimatsu during a textile tour of Japan. I continue to develop my skill with traditional Japanese shibori patterns, but also enjoy experimenting to discover new patterns. I use French steam set dyes, which provide a brightness of color and texture to the works I create.
Shibori* was originally an art of the poor. In feudal Japan, many people could not afford to buy expensive fabrics like cotton or silk, so clothes were often made of cheap hemp fabrics. People could not afford to replace clothes regularly either, so they would repair and redye them; the art of Shibori evolved as a means of making old clothes look new. Shibori developed along two separate paths: as the method of decorating the silk used for producing kimonos for the aristocracy of Japan (largely carried out in Kyoto), and as a folk art differing from region to region.
One of the most famous locations for Shibori in Japan is Arimatsu in Nagoya. The basic technique of Arimatsu Shibori is to draw a design on a piece of fabric (usually silk or cotton), then to tie very tight knots with thread around points of the fabric. The fabric is then dyed; since the dye does not penetrate the knots, when they are untied there is a pattern of dyed and undyed areas. This can be repeated many times to produce patterns of various colors. Since most of the work is manual, the same pattern produced with the same materials will be different depending on the artisan. Each person is specialized in one of the particular techniques, and often several people will work together to produce a single work.
* modified from http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/aichi/arimatsu.html
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