Ishokujuu is the concept I am working on for the upcoming solo show at ABA ART LAB in Mallorca on June 6th. It is a Japanese expression to describe the basic necessities o to define quality of life:
i - clothing
shoku - food
juu - shelter
When talking about our basic needs - ishokujuu - it was very important to work in an austere or material conscious way.
Starting point for this project has been to work with what I have in my studio, without buying any new materials. Transforming, recycling, decomposing or recomposing, finding means in what I have in my working space, shelves and drawers to express ideas and thoughts.
Stacks of paper, yarn, boxes with fabric scraps or vintage books have been the materials I have been using to create this site specific art installation and works for PROJECT ROOM 17 at Aba Art Lab.
It has been a challenge and in some way I have been put out of my comfort zone, specially when sewing polyester fabrics. But it has also been very interesting to see how a vintage architecture book has unfolded into space as well as piles of papers that I rescued once from a printing workshop that was closing down. Meaningful also to use a dusty yarn cone from a not longer existing knitwear factory in Catalonia, that someone brought to me one day and transform it again into some knitted garments that will be part of the art installation.
Using artisanal techniques as knitting, sewing, quilting to create some of the art works have also been intentional. Introducing textile crafts to produce art works I claim their value as artistic expression.
Working with soft materials, changing technology derived production for hand operated simple tools have been key to me.