Structure And Surface: Contemporary Japanese Textiles

by Matilda McQuaid, Cara McCarty

Contemporary Japanese Textiles Bound between covers draped in a contemporary textile, Structure and Surface lushly and in great detail illustrates more than 60 exotic and beautiful fabric creations that have emerged from Japan in the past few years. Texts describe materials used--banana fiber, newspaper, copper, stainless steel, and feathers, combined with silk, cotton, wool, linen, and polyester--and an array of ingenious techniques--pounding, scrubbing, scraping, and treatment with chemicals and acids--which together create radically new textures and finishes. For centuries Japan has been associated with a rich textile tradition and was a leading center of cotton and silk production, but as this book demostrates, in recent years it has emerged as a newly influential and vital force in the industry. Included are biographies of the 30 artists, designers, and manufacturers represented, as well as a useful glossary.

104 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Edie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book explained a variety of new materials and techniques found in today’s Japanese textiles. That was utterly fascinating. The photos do as good a job as they can trying to convey something predominantly tactile.

My complaints were few. I would have liked the explainations on the same page as the examples. Everything is stated in the beginning but this forced you to hunt through the plates.

I also wish there were more pictures of the fabrics in use. You get a few of Issey Miyake’s fashions on the runway, but I would have liked to have seen more.