Plain, Stripe, Check

A collaborative international touring exhibition in two parts: Contemporary hand-woven textiles; and historical woven textiles from museum collections in Britain and Japan where the research draws on a continuing collaboration between, Tim Parry-Williams, Japanese kimono-weaver Ikuko Ida, and a network of museum and archive collaborators. The exhibition presents results of archive research in Japanese and British collections focusing on woven textiles under the research theme 'plain, stripe, check'. This emerged as being of significance through the consistent presence of these themes within various textile genres across many centuries and cultural boundaries, and being in keeping with existing individual studio practice aesthetics. The exhibition seeks to demonstrate the diversity of these simple design elements and their values in traditional and contemporary work, and explore and compare their cultural contexts. While the historical work showcases examples of textile techniques and design traditions rarely displayed or discussed, the new work demonstrates the relevance of traditional practice and methodologies in the context of contemporary work. This is seen to reinterpret or echo the dialogue of the historical work, drawing on the hidden knowledge and design thinking that facilitated the original, and informing the design and development process of the contemporary practice. The new work as a manifestation of applied research practice demonstrates the unique diversity of individual interpretive methodologies. It aims to stimulate thought around the value of simplicity in design and relationships between design methodologies in Britain and Japan. The research contributes to the learning and understanding of Japanese and British cultures through textiles (trends in colouring, patterning, materials, and contextual application) by showcasing a variety of archive and contemporary work from both Japan and the UK and broadens specialist subject understanding. While it facilitates international linkage between the participants it also contributes to continued Anglo-Japanese links through and beyond textiles