News
AXIS Forum "Return to Origin Vol. 6" inviting Sudo Reiko (Textile designer and representative of NUNO) Online Event
Now open
21.11.17
- Event period
- 11.30 Tue11.30 Tue
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world dramatically. Accepting changes and building a new future may require a return to origin, where we may examine our very bedrock. With this in mind, AXIS Forum is inviting speakers that are active in various fields.
For this installment, we have invited textile designer Reiko Sudo, whose innovative textile making is attracting attention worldwide. In November 2021, her first large-scale work collection book NUNO-Visionary Japanese Textiles (Thames & Hudson) was published, and the nuno nuno exhibition will be held at AXIS Gallery from December 1 (Wed) to commemorate the publication.
| Date | Tuesday, November 30 |
|---|---|
| Time | 19:00 ー 20:00 |
| Venue | Online live streaming from the nuno nuno exhibition venue（AXIS Gallery） |
| Fee | Free |
| Application | Please register via Peatix. |
| Organizers | AXIS Inc. |
| ＊The URL will be sent to your registered email address one day prior to the event date, and will also be posted on Peatix. ＊Please note that the event content is subject to change due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thank you for your understanding. |
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo(2006). NUNO took charge of the textile design for the entire building under the concept of Forest and Water. Photo by Tadashi Okochi
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo(2019) Photo by Nacasa & Partners Inc.
Since its founding in 1984, NUNO's focus has been placed on creation of long-lived products. Based on the concept of minimizing environmental burden and waste, its activities are not limited to textile production, but also a wide range of undertakings, including development of recycling systems and research on biodegradable materials in collaboration with manufacturers, as well as discovery and practical application of materials that have never been used in textiles before. As sustainability becomes increasingly important, Sudo says that it is not simply a matter of using natural materials. In order to make everyday products for many people, she needs to consider what is truly sustainable.
Kibiso (thick and hard fiber first spun by silkworms when they make cocoons) had previously been discarded since it is hard to utilize, but became successfully commercialized under Sudos supervision, resulting in the birth of the kibiso brand. Her efforts to realize sustainability, quality design, and functionality have attracted attention worldwide. Her works are in permanent collections of the Cooper Hewitt Museum (USA) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (UK). Photo by Masayuki Hayashi
Sudo Reiko: Making NUNO Textiles（2019） at Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textiles (Hong Kong). This traveling exhibition will start from Hong Kong and move to London, Edinburgh, St. Gallen (Switzerland) and other cities in Europe.
Sudo has a special feeling for "Made in Japan," and places a great importance on collaborating with manufacturers in dyeing and weaving industries throughout Japan. "I like to communicate with people to motivate each other through trial and error," says Sudo. Her attitude is definitely being passed down to the younger generations in the production areas.
In this AXIS Forum, we will hear about textiles in demand today, and future activities that she desires to pursue, as well as the grass roots and the driving force behind her one-of-a-kind textile creation.The Forum will be live streamed from the venue of the nuno nuno exhibition, and introduce the highlights of the exhibit.
Textile used on the cover of 『NUNO-Visionary Japanese Textiles』 (Thames & Hudson ) book is made of a biodegradable material (broken down into carbon dioxide and water by microorganisms) derived from pulp. Photo by Thames and Hudson
『NUNO - Visionary Japanese Textiles』 Photo by Masayuki Hayashi
Koinobori Now! Installation by Reiko Sudo, Adrien Gardère and Seiichi Saito (2018）@The National Art Center, Tokyo Photo by Ken Kato
Reiko Sudo
Born in Ishioka City, Ibaraki Prefecture. President of Nuno Corporation and Professor Emeritus of Tokyo Zokei University. Since 2008, she has worked as a textile design advisor for Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd., the Tsuruoka Fablic Industry Cooperative, AS Corporation, etc. She joined Ryohin Keikaku's Advisory Board in 2016. She won the Mainichi Design Award, the ROSCOE Design Award, and the Japan Interior Design Association JID Award.She creates new textiles by making full use of traditional Japanese dyeing and weaving techniques as well as modern advanced technologies. Her works are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston,the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo.
Photo by Masayuki Hayashi