Seiko

SEIKO KINOSHITA Using traditional Japanese dyeing and weaving techniques, the Japanese textile artist Seiko Kinoshita creates contemporary textile art works and installations in 2D and 3D. Seiko’s target market tends to be people interested in simplicity, people who are environmentally friendly and the viewers within the art world. The style of Seiko is that of simplicity and harmony between her artworks and the environment. Seiko explains that “This environment has made me realize how my aesthetic sense is heavily influenced by my land of origin.”…. and that “Positive concepts derived from everyday life and nature influence my work. Nature has always inspired me. Its form, colour, sound, taste, texture excite and sometimes frighten me. I feel there is nothing equal to its magnificent power and pure beauty. The challenge to design alongside the power of nature will continue. The intention of my weaving work is to present a moment of peace to a viewer who lives in a hectic world and to push the boundaries of textiles being perceived as craft.” The factors that contribute to Seiko’s success are her expertise in creative design having specialized knowledge and skills in textiles with her experimentations with textile techniques to convey her concepts, She is ecologically friendly for she uses an 80 year old loom or weaves by hand and dyes all her yarn herself in order to get more satisfying colours, and most importantly her access to the internet has enabled her to have her own website (http://www.seikokinoshita.com/index.php) which showcases her designs to overseas markets making her a part of the global network. In addition, her expertise contributes greatly to her reputation as a textile artist having completed a BA in Formative Art at Kinki University, Japan and worked as a printed textile designer and CAD operator for 4 years. On gaining a Rotary International Scholarship, she came to the UK to study an MA in Textile Design at Nottingham Trent University. After finishing her MA, she moved to Sheffield to take a two year Starter Studio Program at Persistence with Yorkshire Artspace Society at Persistence Works (the UK’s largest purpose-built artist studio complex). Now Seiko has her own studio there and enjoys working towards exhibitions, commissions and educational art workshops with schools and community groups.