ReKat by Erika Cross from uk

ReKat is a project that explores and reinvents the tradition of kimono production through an exploration of Japanese resist dyed fabrics, often used in these garments. Ikat weaving involves resist dying yarn prior to the weaving process. Due to the time consuming nature of the craft, however, its modern evolution has seen digital reproduction replacing the role of the craftsman. Many traditional art and craft techniques have been losing their appreciation and value in our modern society, in the same way that culture surrounding the kimono trade has been dwindling. Through finding modern ways to reinvent the production of ikat dying and weaving, combining cultural art and design trends with ancient craft technique, we hope to create an exciting new aesthetic to revive interest in the production and appreciation of this beautiful garment.

Our process intervenes with the time-consuming dying process. Instead of resist dying traditional patterns on to the yarn - patterns which might not have much relevance to a newer, younger audience - we plan to invite contemporary Japanese artists to create works of art directly on yarn stretched out on a frame (see diagram), using the their preferred medium (paint, spray paint, etc.). The yarn is then unraveled and sent to the traditional weavers, who will use their own aesthetic to weave the specially dyed thread into abstract patterns. Each resulting fabric is unique, and has a special provincial connection.

Freed from the straitjacket of figurative representation, the colours, when abstracted through the weaving process, are allowed to take on a life if their own, merging in the textiles to form new colour landscapes. The patterns are a direct result of an equal collaboration between contemporary and traditional crafts.

ReKat juxtaposes modern fine art processes with craft techniques to create a new fabric that is at the same time recollective and forward thinking.