Kiyomi Osawa
Embroiderer
Kiryu, Japan
Embroidery in motion
- Kiyomi's kinetic and voluminous embroideries are vibrant in colour and texture
- She is collaborating with MIT researcher Awu Chen on an innovative project
- Her hometown of Kiryu has thrived as a textile hub since the eighth century
Kiyomi Osawa specialises in the rare horizontal machine embroidery technique known as yokoburi, originating in her hometown of Kiryu city. Throughout her practice, she has redefined and popularised her craft, transforming what was once considered mere machine embroidery into a recognised art form. Kiyomi has developed a distinctive pictorial language of drawing directly onto fabric, using the thread as pigment and the needle as brush. Since the 1980s, she has collaborated with Japanese and international designers including Emmanuelle Khanh, Kansai Yamamoto, Undercover by Jun Takahashi, and more recently Yuima Nakazato and Yu Tanaka. “My embroidery practice is free, modern and ever evolving,” Kiyomi says. She is the first embroiderer to receive the Medal of Honour with Yellow Ribbon from the Emperor of Japan.
INTERVIEW
Traditionally, yokoburi embroidery imitates flat, hand stitched works, using a machine. I have pushed the technique further by leveraging the sewing machine’s unique mechanical capabilities. I layer threads to mix colours as one would with oil paints. By using free needle movement, I create bold 3D forms and kinetic energy not found in traditional embroidery.
I have memories from my childhood of running my pencils over every available space. Today, those pencils and crayons have simply been replaced by threads My greatest joy is the pure moment of creation, where it feels as if I am innocently drawing with thread.
Having trained over 600 individuals, my advice is to view the sewing machine not as a tool, but as a lifelong partner. They must master its mechanics until it becomes and extension of the body. Furthermore, they must fully understand the characteristics of thread and utilise its potential to the limit. True expression is born only when the tool and the heart become one.
I believe the heart, texture and warmth of analogue creation will only become more precious. My hope is for yokoburi embroidery to gain global recognition, and to transcend the boundaries of art by collaborating with science. I aim to pioneer a field of healing crafts, creating beautiful embroidered works with therapeutic threads and materials designed to support the mind and body of those facing illness.
