Meadow / Cluster

Site specific installation, Gallery Gallery, Kyoto, Japan

2021, kozo (mulberry fiber) silk, natural dyes, 2’x12’x17’

I have been investigating natural materials and dyes recently.  Climate change and the pandemic make us think about the natural environment seriously.  I have had the chance to deepen appreciation for the natural environment in the Pacific Northwest where I live.  Organisms don’t lie; humans created huge problems.  

“Meadow” is a fiber installation made from silk organza and kozo (mulberry fiber) paper.  It is all dyed with natural dyes: green is Osage (yellow) over Indigo.  In order to harvest crops (or any vegetable/fruit), it requires so much time and labor.  I would like to feel the healthy natural environment that is spreading eternally.  On the other hand, the accumulation of individuals becomes the whole.  The death numbers of COVID19 in the USA are enormous, about 745,000 (as of October 31, 2021).  I will not be able to replace this number with my work but I want people to visualize the scale of the number.  If each cone-like element of this piece were one human life the scale of the installation would be more than 4,000 times its current size.  

“Cluster” is a paper cast wall piece made of Kozo dyed with logwood.  The forms are cast from tie-dyed fabric that looks like topographical maps or nipples.  We see such basic forms in various organic environments/systems, from large scale to small, including the human body.  If there is some toxicity, it will infect.  These clusters can be viruses: the spread of toxic viruses.  I didn’t think of the power of viruses until COVID19 started spreading.    

Hyoga (Glacier)

I have been exploring contemporary shibori techniques using polyester fabric and handmade paper to address contemporary issues such as global warming.  By pouring pulp over textured and sheer fabric forms I try to explore the concept and forms of melting ice.  The various colors of blue and white are inspired by glaciers I viewed during a trip to Alaska.  The piece on the wall suggests sea creatures that are dying because of warmer temperatures and the contamination of the water.  The suffering ones are dark colored. The bullet forms are cast into star-like shapes that are connected like neurons, as we are connected to each other and nature.  Both pieces are site-specific installations for Gallery Gallery in Kyoto, Japan. During this exhibition, I also shared written wishes for the planet that I collected in the Northwest US to share American people’s concerns for global warming with the gallery visitors.   Please see some examples in http://www.seikopurdue.com/wishes-for-the-planet/.