' Colourful Creatures are often Poisonous...'

Photographer: Yuji Watanabe

Hello Hello!!!
So amongst the festivities and all I thought I would also show you the outcome of the off-season collection of showpieces that I have been working on for the past 3 months in the studio in Japan! As you know I've been creating a new series of works based around the idea of combining the traditional qualities of paper with more current materials.
The final chapter of my dream time spent in Japan working as Artist in Residence, as part of the Mino Paper Art Village Project, culminated in a collaborative photoshoot with an awesome team in Tokyo.


Here's the official spiele about my new work...
'The concept behind 'Colourful Creatures are often Poisonous...' was to utilise Mino Washi in terms of a collaboration between traditional and contemporary materials. My ethos was to combine locally produced paper with unconventional fabrics, techniques and silhouettes to generate an overall collection of garments that represent a fusion of established craft and experimental fashion and textile design.
Mino washi is featured in each piece of the collection and combined materials include polypropylene , vintage kimono fabric, latex, PVC, lurex and metal trimmings. Inclusive techniques involve print, embroidery, crochet, knit, hand embellishment and weaving.
Mino City acted as a muse for my works and prior research. Influences included landscape tones and form in which I translated mountains into colourful geometric layered shapes and used saturated hues derived from my environments and surroundings in Mino. Experiences with the local wildlife encouraged an exploration of various protection techniques used by animals and humans. The notion that often in nature, plants and animals use bright colours to exude the impression of being toxic to predators, provided the basis for my colour palette and this was combined with the human technique of using bells to alert nearby creatures of their presence. '

Photographer:Yuji Watanabe
Hair:Chika Kimura
Make:Nao Yoshida
Model: Olga@Yoshi Inc
And that's the basic juice about the new pieces....they are currently being exhibited as part of 'Let Momo Eat Cake' at the Mino Washi Museum, Gifu Prefecture, Japan until January 10th...more to come on that next time!!!
Love and Wild Boars!!!
Emma xxxx

Still in Japan....!!!

Hello from Japan!
I have been 100% rubbish in updating my blog over this past couple of months....I've been locked away in the studio around the clock working on my new pieces which will be unleashing tomorrow at the opening of the exhibition!
I can't believe I have been here for 3 months now and in a few days I will wave sayonara to Japan and whizz off to the UK just in time for Christmas!
For most of the time it's been work akimbo here in the studio in Mino however, a couple of weeks ago I took a few days break to Osaka and Kyoto! That was mucho fun and even the novelty of lying in bed, watching Columbo and eating ice lollies was GLORIOUSSS as I was mega mega exhausted!
Last week I was working up in Tokyo! All of my new pieces for my off-season collection were hauled up there and I got to work with an awesome team in creating a series of images of my latest work which, will also be exhibited in the museum alongside the garments. There was also some time for plenty of shopping, sightseeing and general fun timezzzz!
Oooooh and be sure to check out the feature all about my time as Artist in Residence in Japan that I wrote in the new issue of Notion Magazine... it's out now so pop to the shops and get your juicy copy...or if you are snowed in or whatever you can also read the piece online by clicking HERE!!!!!
I would really like to write more but, after installing in the gallery and frantically wrapping everything up over this past few days I would really love to wash my hair tonight and go to sleep...
I'll be whipping out the images of the exhibition, which is titled, 'Let Momo Eat Cake' alongside the photoshoot in the next few days once launches/farewell parties/ flights of doom/packing and sleeping are all out the way...I'll slip out further tales of Japan times and photos too...FO SHO.
I shall leave you with a couple of snaps from my Osaka extravaganza!!!

Toodle Pip for now!!!
Love and Sushi,
Emma
xxxx

Rocking Around Japan and Making Paper Stuff!!!

Helloooo!!!
I've been embroiled in lots of paper action, hence me taking forever to update on the goings on and gossip!
Post Akari Art Exhibition in which, my mystical unicorn made it's debut, I've been cracking on with my new pieces of work which will be exhibited here in Japan as of December! It's been busy times in the studio working on my latest shizzz and it's all fun! Really loving being able to work with so many new materials and produce something really different...of course there's still glitter involved!
In between rocking out my project, I've also been getting up to all sorts from a couple of papermaking workshops, a lantern making sesh and helping churn out a cheeky catwalk at a local school! It's all fun and games!!!
There's also been a couple of adventures in the mix...we went on a mission to another town in Japan called Shirakawago which was amazing and also I hit up the Aichi Triennale 2010 to check out some of the art currently displayed in the festival that's spread right across Nagoya! I fell in love with the work of Pip and Pop, a duo from Australia...seriously the stuff dreams are made of!!!Of course trips to Nagoya also meant I got to do some shopping!!!
So I will leave you with a select few photos from my latest exploits....there's a bunch more on my photo diary blog which is HERE!!!!

Some latest Japanese press...I don't have a scanner here...so excuse the shady photos!!!

The amazing Pip and Pop.... www.pipandpop.org

Love and Sushi,
Emma
xxx

Akari Art Lantern Festival, Wild Boars and Other Stuff!

Hello from Japan!
So it's been a super busy couple of weeks settling into my new residency here in Japan! Been up to all sorts from parties to paper making workshops and the main bit of action has been working towards the deadline for the upcoming annual Akari Art Lantern Festival in Mino City. I've been working on my piece since I arrived and my lantern is a unicorn that also doubles up as some type of headgear! There's the photos above! The exhibition opens tomorrow and I'm sooo excited!
My piece is titled 'Cornelius the Unicorn of Dreams'....not quite sure how that translates in Japanese and it's made mainly from Mino Washi alongside other stuff including rhinestones, wool, bamboo and metal!It's kind of ridiculous and I'm trying to think of how I can transport this beast back to England when I return!
Papermaking was really awesome as we got to hang out at the Mino Washi Museum for a few days learning the skillzzz...really fun...this is how it rolled:

Now that my piece for the lantern exhibition is wrapped up I'm starting working on my new project which involves making a series of garments from textiles created out of paper...so it's been latex, knitting, weaving and sampling galore this week!!
Ok...so here are a few choice photos of what's been going down!

I've taken about a million photos so far...it's a really amazing town! I'm getting to grips with the nature thing...although tonight I had a close encounter with a wild boar which was the worst experience of my whole life as it was like 2 metres away and growled at me....thought I was going to die!
Also I have started a photo diary which basically documents my entire project here as artist in residence...you can CLICK HERE to ch ch check it out!
Roll on the lantern exhibition!!!!
Love and tropical animals,
Emma
xxx

Mino, Japan: Artist in Residence!

Konnichiwa from Japan!
Now that the jet-lag has vanished and I'm more settled in...here is the lowdown on my current project which sees me living and working in Japan for the next 3 months!
So a while ago my proposal was selected by the committee at the Mino Paper Art Village Project in Japan and I was invited to Mino City alongside 3 other International Artists to participate in their Artist in Residence programme. The city has a history of traditional Japanese Washi (paper) making that has been rocking around for 1,300 years and the concept of the project is to maintain it's paper making heritage as well as fuse it into contemporary art and design.
Part of the experience is that you live with a host family throughout the duration and I have been lucky enough to be placed with the lovely Takahashi's at the amazing Buddhist temple that they run! So I have a lovely living space and that's my room above! Total change for me as I'm scared of nature and I'm so used to living in big cities!
It's been super busy since arriving as they had an action packed schedule of meetings, parties and all sorts planned for the new artists! We got to meet the Mayor of the city as well as attend our 'Welcome Party' which involved us parading around playing instruments whilst wearing a Peruvian poncho?!

Today we moved into the studio where we will be working for the next few months...that is my space above!Love it! It's right in the middle of the old streets with paper walls and all, so there's lots of nice shops and stuff going on around us!

It's full steam ahead now and I am so excited to get started on my project which involves transforming Mino Washi into textiles that will then be used for a collective of paper garments which will be exhibited here in Japan in a few months time! Today I started playing around with the paper and even discovered that they make washable paper socks here...crazy!
So that's the basic lowdown! Lots more to come!
Love and Sushi!
Emma
xxx

SS11 Showcase Collection and Farewell Vienna!

Photographer: Wolfgang Steiner

Hair and Make-Up: Claudia Haider

Hosiery: Pebelle

Models: Ina Rot @ Stella Models & Zuzana Stanekova @ Look Models.
Hello Hello!!!
Lots to update on...I'm in Japan right now...But I shall give you a full rundown of the last couple of weeks beforehand!
So the first big bit of news was that we finally closed the doors on 'Fish and Chips, Twice Please?!' after receiving a record number of almost 30,000 visitors! So happy that it has had such an awesome response and it's been a great project to work on over the past 9 months!
After spending the majority of the past year in Vienna, including my residency, I have said farewell to Whirlers and after packing up the exhibition, I ventured back to England for a few days!
Throughtout working on Fish and Chips, I have also been developing my condensed showcase collection/SS11 which features my commissioned prints as part of the exhibition. This season I presented a selection of the pieces statically in the gallery and the images above are of my most recent lookbook shoot, that I worked on with photographer Wolfgang Steiner.
So in the space of a week I waved goodbye to Vienna and the action packed chapter that was 'Fish and Chips, Twice Please?!' and found myself in Japan. I was recently awarded a position as Artist in Residence as part of the Mino Paper Art Village Project who have invited me to live and work here for the next 3 months. I only arrived yesterday after an epic 30 hour long journey which involved pretty much every mode of transport that you can imagine! So right now I'm settling in and attending to the action packed schedule that is planned...but I will save the full story for tomorrow!
Toodle Pip!
Emma
xxx