' 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