Textiles by Hiroko Takeda

It’s intriguing to think that many of my influences revolve around nature itself, even if it’s unclear at first this component always shines through. For example with craft, it’s design stripped back to only the necessary, you have to manipulate and make a form out of a bare basic material that’s completely natural (such as clay or wood). Even in architecture you have to account for the dialogue between outside and inside, the houses I showcase have the common theme of letting the outside in, opening our connection with the world. The beautiful textiles by Hiroko Takeda reminded me of the different materials out there and how people are using them to convey a message. In fact, she’s using handmade techniques that go back decades, sometimes these so called ‘slow’ ways of making achieve the best possible results.

Although Hiroko Takeda creates these fabrics for luxury brands and other household names, she uses traditional and experimental techniques to express emotions and sensitivities. It’s this mixture of ancient and contemporary practices that propels her work forward, breaking new ground in the field and pushing through any boundaries set before. Today I thought I would showcase some photographs that she kindly sent over of her making process. I’m fascinated by the brilliant shots of the textiles being produced on the loom. You don’t get much more up-close and personal than this! Funnily enough, you don’t really think about how these different textiles are designed unless you’re actually familiar with the process itself. So these give us a glimpse in to the life of a creative like Hiroko, from the initial drawing phase to actually producing samples on the loom.

Hiroko was brought up in Japan and trained there in the tradition of the Mingei Undou (Folk Craft Movement), founded by Soetsu Yanagi in the late 1920s and 1930s. With her education being in Japan and Europe, now working and living in America, she’s intertwined her heritage and classically trained knowledge in to a 21st century setting, making works that have modern sensibilities and will hopefully transcend time. These photos are an absolute treat, if you’d like to see other experimental textiles and learn more about Hiroko Takeda then I’ve left the link to her website just below. Enjoy!

hirokotakeda.com

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