Nui

by Joe Earle

Published 15 June 2010
Shobu Gakuen, a rehabilitation facility established in 1973 in southwest Japan, has had a long tradition of providing a venue for adults with developmental difficulties to make crafts. The goal of this pioneering and highly successful facility was to empower its residents to become active and productive individuals within their communities. In 1985, Kobo (Studio) Shobu was created to emphasize the production style of each person in the facility and is now receiving international attention, especially for the Nui (Stitching) Project. This is the first English-language publication to feature works by extraordinary Nui artists. Reproducing some 50 works that represent a spectrum of embroidery forms, from simple stitching to French knots, this handsome book provides new information based on direct observation of the artists and their stunning embroideries, as well as interviews with Shin Fukumori, the founder of Shobu Gakuen.

Fiber Futures

by Joe Earle and Hiroko Watanabe

Published 25 October 2011
Japan is a world leader in fibre arts, with practitioners whose deep understanding of inherited materials and techniques has given them freedom to move beyond traditional utility to create innovative and beautiful works of art. "Fiber Futures" features some twenty-five artists, from seasoned veterans to relative newcomers. It examines such topics as the relationship between traditional and contemporary practice; the role of creators with a 'fine-art' orientation in appropriating, and sometimes helping to preserve, traditional craft technologies; the challenges and opportunities for handicraft technologies in an age of mass production; and issues of Japanese 'authenticity' versus globalism. This handsome book shows how the medium has advanced and diversified dramatically over the last decade and focuses on sculptural and installation works. The remarkable pieces are made of materials ranging from ethereal silk gauze through banana-bark and handmade paper to fine steel thread, synthetics and glass fibre, using methods that are sometimes deeply traditional, but sometimes employ the latest weaving and dyeing technology.