Kimono Inspiration Challenge: Yukata from Abroad

International artists tried their hands at kimono production to inspire the Arimatsu shibori community, undertaking this challenge to create a fresh and unique yukata just in time for the summer season.

Prompt

Artisans in Arimatsu have crafted casual, unlined cotton kimonos called "yukata" since the Edo period, working each year to invent exciting new styles which will help them stand out against their competition during the short summer season. Arimatsu artisans are ingenious when it comes to inventing new techniques to both improve efficiency and wow their customers. 

Now it's your turn to try your hand at kimono production and inspire the Arimatsu shibori community! Undertake this challenge to create a fresh and unique summer outfit for display at the annual Arimatsu Shibori Festival with over 30,000 attendees, as well as the 11th International Shibori Symposium. Afterwards, the garments will go into the permanent collection of the Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori Kaikan. Your design may even be adapted into next season's yukata production in Arimatsu!

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

Shibori Mini

Shibori thrives under constraint. Here, international artists showcased their talents in miniature, confined to a 30x30x30cm space.

Prompt

Consider this small 30x30x30cm (roughly 12”x12”x12”) cube a space to demonstrate your most innovative methods of textile manipulation. With an emphasis on diversity of thought and method, we encourage you to create surprising combinations, interactive elements, and engaging or even radical new interpretations of shaped-resist. Evoke material "memory," a record of processes which shape and morph, to illustrate the myriad transformative possibilities of shibori.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

New Beat: International Student Competition

Students across the globe presented innovative 2D and 3D art inspired by material manipulation and cutting-edge technical application, pushing the boundaries of contemporary art further into the future.

Prompt

Organized by 11 ISS and hosted by the Tohoku University of Art & Design, this competition promotes an international exchange of ideas and inspiration amongst the next generation of artists and designers exploring new dimensions in surface design.

Students are encouraged to use any pliable material as a "textile" and to experiment with color and shape. Just as shibori techniques create a "memory on cloth" wherein the transformation from 2D to 3D can be interpreted and reverse engineered, the resulting design should showcase the material's "memory" i.e., a recorded expression of the process. Students are encouraged to engage with environmental and social issues or topics relevant to their local community in their work.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

15x20 Mini Presentations

Artists and scholars from around the world embraced their five minutes of fame on an international stage in the fast-paced 15×20 mini presentations.

Prompt

A fast-paced style of presentation designed for our community to share their influences and inspirations without getting bogged down by details. This short format encourages flowing presentations summarizing big ideas so that listeners can enjoy a wide variety of perspectives in a single evening.

At the ISS in Tōkyō, we’re hosting a 15x20 mini presentations (15 slides at 20 seconds each, for a total of five minutes) to allow an opportunity for participants to share their work and ideas engaging with the themes of the symposium. Selected participants will gain the invaluable experience of presenting their work in front of our international community and have an opportunity for networking and feedback after the presentations.

PRESENTERS

Pop-Up Shops

Pop-up shops open for registrant participation showcased our creative variety and encouraged the interchange of ideas.

Alamwar
India

Handmade artisanal clothing, accessories, and home goods from India using natural dyes and or azo free dyes. Tribal hand embroidery, hand woven and dyed and painted fabrics.

Ana Lisa Hedstrom
USA

Hand-dyed shibori scarves and jackets. Arashi, itajime, and stitch resist are techniques used in Ana Lisa's one-of-a-kind art wear.

Aranya Natural
India

Aranya Natural, a natural dyeing unit located in Munnar, Kerala, India, started in 1994 to rehabilitate the specially abled people of Munnar. We use 100% natural dyes hand-picked from local resources and specialise in shibori, batik, and vegetable printing.

Carolina Yrarrázaval
Chile

Latin American textiles.

Riley & Rogers
Australia

Two Sydney artists passionate about dyeing and textiles have come together to offer you some of their treasures. Barbara Rogers uses a contemporary approach to Japanese Shibori resist textiles. Sylvia Riley brings you a permanent memory of the Australian bush via a tannin extraction process.

Soham Dave
India

Soham Dave is a concept and clothing label that offers minimalistic lifestyle products for the conscious urban with emphasis on rooted Indian textiles.

Taller de Vientos
Mexico

Wearable traditional cotton weavings from different parts of Mexico ranging from the National Prize for the Arts cooperative La Flor de Xochistlahuaca to rebozo master Don Adlolfo García Díaz of Tenancingo, from Pantelhó in the highlands of Chiapas to the Sierra of Zongolica in Central Veracruz.

Vicki Ames
Australia

A colorful range of textile work includes individually designed scarves, small wall hangings and textile brooches.