Last week I ventured out to my first exhibition in months! Japan House, based on Kensington High Street was housing a capsule collection of kimonos created by Takahashi Hiroko. She is an artist and expert in traditional Japanese crafts, seen below using the 'Nioudachi' pose, a pose that two deities would use to protect the dharma and often seen at the entrance of temples.
In this exhibition she was using the traditional idea of handing kimonos down to the younger generation. where the parent's old kimonos would be re-dyed and re-tailored to fit children and grandchildren
She has taken old kimonos and unstitched them, de-colourized them and then re-dyed them with dots before reconstructing the kimonos.
There was only a small number of kimonos, each in a monochrome colour palette with a touch of gold.
Sometimes the gold element was just shown in the obijime - the 'belt' that goes over the obi.
I loved the use of bold geometrics where patterns clash but the colour palette holds them together.
Japan House also has a wonderful shop to browse around. I tend to home in on the bright colours, such as these wonderful washi wrapping papers.
Items are beautifully displayed and a simple wooden bento box becomes a work of art in itself.
Fans take on a modern feel in this geometric print.
Enamel spoons artfully placed on a simple wooden tray.
Tenegui fabrics in many shades, colours and prints.
Tenegui are thin lengths of cloth that are have a number of uses including hand towel, head band or wrapping fabric. They are usually hand printed and come in amazing prints and colours.
These stunning wooden pieces use a technique where the wood is carved by hand and fitted together without the use of nails. It would originally have been used as a window covering.
Hand printed stationery using bold design and vibrant colours.
The kimono exhibition finishes today but it's still worth a visit to the shop if you fancy a little taster into Japanese design.
