Lotus Flower Kosode (2019)

Abstract

“Lotus Flower Kosode” was inspired by my visit to Kyoto in 2019 where I attended the annual kimono exhibition for Japanese undergraduate textile students. I was captivated by a student’s work because he used the lotus flower motif, conveying the meditative state associated with classical Chinese flower-and-bird painting in Song Dynasty. This encounter reminded me of the Eastern perspective, which sees nature and humans as an inseparable whole, hugely differentiating from the Western view of seeing nature in a subject-object relationship.

At the time I studied Japanese kimono-making and the traditional dyeing techniques, as I appreciated that the kimono is a zero-waste garment. Traditionally, the one-size template enabled the garment to pass down to the next generations to preserve cultural heritage. Moreover, I was fascinated by the traditional Japanese colours extracted by natural dyestuff through a complex process which was environmentally friendly. Therefore, my research explored the complex process of kimono-making, encompassing the logic of kimono design, the style, the use of materials, tools, and the cultivation of artists’ hands. The material I used for kimono-dying consisted of natural Japanese dyes and Sumi inks. ROZOME, a wax-resist dyeing technique, was acquired from my professor-Bill Morton.