今 Ima, 2024
Crocheted wild silk
35cmW x 80cmH
During my one-month residency in Kyoto, I spent 2 hours every morning crocheting this piece without any patterns as a meditation; a primitive ‘diary’. A certain square is filled, marking a certain moment. That moment is unimportant; it simply meant ‘now’— the time of creation. Yet it will forever be remembered with this mark. Before, the piece was whole; perfect. Now there is a ‘before’, and ‘after’; a ‘left’ and a ‘right’; blank and filled, positive and negative. Suddenly, a story appears. When does the moment come for change? The answer is simply, 'Now'. When you decide.
This piece was crocheted in wild silk, of which the gold sheen is natural. Obtained from a third-generation silk workshop originally specialising in kimono fabric in Niigata, Japan, I was touched by the commitment of the craftspeople and the respect for the sacrificed silkworms. This piece showcases the fibre in its original form, without distractions, and the repetitive nature of crochet echoes that of the silk yarn-making process.
*This work was partially inspired by the idea of a ‘Persian Flaw’, the ancient tale of how Persian carpet makers deliberately made a mistake to show they were imperfect humans and not perfect, like God.