This episode is a conversation with Kyoto based international felt artist Jorie Johnson. Her specialised expertise and knowledge of wool and of the felting process is an example of a textile practice that is contributing to the field of contemporary felt making through her research and innovative approach to the medium.
Our discussion examines how her lifelong passion and affinity for wool continues to be informed by historical and contemporary research. How her role as an educator allows her to share her knowledge of capabilities of wool felt. And what motivates her curiosity for what can be done with wool felt in the studio.
For more information on our guest:
Born into the family of a Boston wool merchant, Jorie Johnson studied Textile Design for industry in the USA (RISD) and Finland (KOTO). Residing in Kyoto, Japan for the last thirty years, she re-established her studio, JoiRae Textiles, which focuses on the expression of feltmaking in our modern nomadic times.
The author of two books and numerous articles on the subject of feltmaking, her work has appeared in contemporary textile magazines including Surface Design Association Journal (US), Fiber Art Now (US), and FELT Matters (UK) and, her research work in HALI (UK). A lecturer at various Japanese Universities she also travels worldwide to reach the history, and teach the genius of the medium.
As an invited research fellow for The Imperial Household Agency Nara, from 2011, she has been analyzing, sampling, and preparing the official study of the rare collection of 8th CE Tang Dynasty Kasen felt carpets in the Shosoin Treasures repository.
Selected for the exhibitions “Artwear, Fashion and Anti-fashion”, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, “HATS: an Anthology by Stephen Jones”, Victoria & Albert Museum, “Fashioning Felt”, The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, NYC, “Celestial Threads”, The Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among other institutions which also include her work in their collections.
She was a participant in the “2018 Intersections in Felt, 3rd International Symposium, Common Language of Turkic World-Patterns”, which was her first visit to Baku, Azerbaijan.
Website: www.joirae.com
#TMR
The Material Revolution
http://thematerialrevolution.com
contact us: info@materialrevolution.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.material.revolution/
The podcast is independently developed and produced. It is through your support that will help us continue to create meaningful and impactful content.
Patreon page to make pledge: https://www.patreon.com/thematerialrevolution
Music by: Interior Design https://interiordesignmusic.bandcamp.com
This episode is a conversation with Kyoto based international felt artist Jorie Johnson. Her specialised expertise and knowledge of wool and of the felting process is an example of a textile practice that is contributing to the field of contemporary felt making through her research and innovative approach to the medium.
Our discussion examines how her lifelong passion and affinity for wool continues to be informed by historical and contemporary research. How her role as an educator allows her to share her knowledge of capabilities of wool felt. And what motivates her curiosity for what can be done with wool felt in the studio.
For more information on our guest:
Born into the family of a Boston wool merchant, Jorie Johnson studied Textile Design for industry in the USA (RISD) and Finland (KOTO). Residing in Kyoto, Japan for the last thirty years, she re-established her studio, JoiRae Textiles, which focuses on the expression of feltmaking in our modern nomadic times.
The author of two books and numerous articles on the subject of feltmaking, her work has appeared in contemporary textile magazines including Surface Design Association Journal (US), Fiber Art Now (US), and FELT Matters (UK) and, her research work in HALI (UK). A lecturer at various Japanese Universities she also travels worldwide to reach the history, and teach the genius of the medium.
As an invited research fellow for The Imperial Household Agency Nara, from 2011, she has been analyzing, sampling, and preparing the official study of the rare collection of 8th CE Tang Dynasty Kasen felt carpets in the Shosoin Treasures repository.
Selected for the exhibitions “Artwear, Fashion and Anti-fashion”, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, “HATS: an Anthology by Stephen Jones”, Victoria & Albert Museum, “Fashioning Felt”, The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, NYC, “Celestial Threads”, The Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among other institutions which also include her work in their collections.
She was a participant in the “2018 Intersections in Felt, 3rd International Symposium, Common Language of Turkic World-Patterns”, which was her first visit to Baku, Azerbaijan.
Website: www.joirae.com
#TMR
The Material Revolution
http://thematerialrevolution.com
contact us: info@materialrevolution.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.material.revolution/
The podcast is independently developed and produced. It is through your support that will help us continue to create meaningful and impactful content.
Patreon page to make pledge: https://www.patreon.com/thematerialrevolution
Music by: Interior Design https://interiordesignmusic.bandcamp.com