Kumihimo Wishes

Kumihimo Wishes: Current Times

Exhibition: Jansen Art Center, June 3 - August 26, 2021

https://www.jansenartcenter.org/events/kumihimo-wishes-current-times-by-seiko-purdue/

Process 11/08/2020-3/1/2021

Hi friends!

I have a small craft project that I would like to share with you. It is called Kumihimo in Japanese, a traditional rope making technique (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumihimo) that is getting popular in the US (and maybe globally). You may have heard of it already.

I am providing a kumihimo foam disk and hand dyed yarns. I would like you to enjoy rope making and contribute it for an exhibition at Jansen Art Center in Lynden, Washington State. My solo exhibition, “Kumihimo Wishes: Current Times” is scheduled June to August, 2021 and I am planning to hang 365 pieces of kumihimo with the disks that I have collected from people, as well as one big Kumihimo piece. During the pandemic time I have been thinking about the power of craft work more. Handwork really helps while being isolated. As a Japanese artist, I thought about sharing “Kumihimo,” which has a long history. Japanese people use a Kumihimo to tie over the sash when they wear kimono. It is a necessary item to hold the kimono. I would like you to enjoy the natural dyed yarns as well.

Write your name and wish on the back of the disk!

Instructions:

Put the yarn on the disk (divide into 4 sections, 2 yarns each)
Make Kumihimo by following the paper instructions and the videos.
Weave 6”-10” and keep it on the disk
Write your name and your wish(es) related to the current time
You can personalize by adding any small objects if you like.
Bring back to the collecting place/person or Seiko by March 1
Look for the exhibition at Jansen Art Center, Summer 2021.

If you can find some yarns to make more Kumihimo please use the disk as much as you like. Weaving 16 strands is a next challenge. You can make a keychain or a bracelet. It is good to know how to bundle and finish neatly. (See the Kumihimo Wishes 3 video, coming soon.)

The number of 365 obviously implies the days of the year and I would like to emphasize how important each day is. The accumulation of 365 times is a long time that we will be experiencing in quarantine for a year. Every day, we check how many people have tested positive and died in our county, state, country, and world. It is scary to see the numbers after the accumulation of days. We should not forget these experiences.

I have done several public participation projects in the past (Wish Project, Lofty Aspirations, Wishes for the Planet; see details: http://www.seikopurdue.com). “Kumihimo Wishes: Current Times” will enable me to begin a public participation project in a socially distant way; I would like to challenge myself to collect people’s handworks and their hopes. In my all Wish projects, I honor people’s wishes in artistic forms. The braided various colors from natural dyes with people wishes will celebrate the (hopeful) ending of the pandemic. I started this project before the Presidential election. I don’t have the right to vote and I feel compelled to do something for people instead. I am asking you to write (draw) anything on the back of the Kumihimo disk to share your voice.

Videos:

Kumihimo Wishes 1 (natural dyed yarn): https://vimeo.com/475726320

Kumihimo Wishes 2 (instruction): https://vimeo.com/475733485

Kumihimo Wishes 3 (keychain): https://vimeo.com/482467496

Please send me an e-mail if you would like to participate.

Seiko.Purdue@wwu.edu (e-mail)

Special Thanks:

Jansen Art Center (Closed now)

Social Fabric (where you can pick up a kit)

Northwest Yarns (where you can pick up a kit)

If you would like to make a keychain or something see Video#3