Interview

• What do people not know about your work?

  How physically demanding it is at times, especially when working over a hot dye bath, blasting silk screens with the power hose and removing burnt fibres after the devoré process. Each piece can take several weeks from conception to the finished product.

• How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?

  I use traditional techniques that result in my unconventional textiles. I use Photoshop to manipulate the images for my silk screens. My latest textiles appear aged and relic-like, but when encapsulated between acrylic glass, they look contemporary.

• What is it about Japan that inspires you?

  Primarily the highly sophisticated Japanese sense of aesthetics. On a contemporary level, I admire the works of textile artists like Rei Kawakubo, Jun i’chi Arai and Reiko Sudo, who combine experimental shibori techniques with modern technology.

• What does “well made” mean to you?

  From a practical point of view, it is something that lasts. My textiles are made in a way that they should still be around in years to come. Aesthetically, it means something well designed and that uses base materials in an innovative and creative way.