Z33

About

Satomi Minoshima (°1989) was born in Kanagawa, Japan and is now working in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. She studied Conceptual Design at Musashino Art University as well as at Design Academy Eindhoven.

Pauline Agustoni (°1996) was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland and is now working between Eindhoven, The Netherlands and Berlin, Germany. She studied Arts and Conceptual Design at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts as well as at Design Academy Eindhoven.

For re-FORMAT the designers Pauline Agustoni & Satomi Minoshima explored Dorozome, a traditional fabric dyeing technique originating from Amami Oshima, an island in Southern Japan. Myth has it that the process was discovered after artisans hid tree bark dyed kimonos in the mud to prevent the government from seizing them. From a theoretical perspective, such narratives are what inspire the duo to question and address issues of design positionality and artisans’ relationship to material, creation and globalisation. From a practical one it bases their work on the link between hiding and revealing as a colour and material study. This two-fold act has also allowed the pair to develop a methodology for not only discussing the aforementioned points, but for approaching how this subject can be conveyed when published and exhibited.

The foundations of this project are based on three weeks of research in Japan. Instead of relying on secondhand sources and online ‘how-to’s’, Agustoni and Minoshima went straight to the source of this knowledge to learn and analyse it. It is these points of reference that inscribe their work within a broader significance when positioning craft in a globalised world. During their process the duo explored the artisans’ relationship to the craft and its primary material: the island’s nature. All of this experience and knowledge will be re-contextualised by directly communicating the artisans’ voices and testimonies at Z33.

Mentor:

Yukihito Kanai of the Kanai Kougei workshop

Published on

16 October 2020