The Internationality segment of a series introducing Kawashima Textile School (KTS). Over three weeks from part 8, we will bring you graduate interviews about how connections unique to KTS have developed, in which students of former students who have since become educators in the textile field, come to study. Hsiang Hsuan Chen, who had worked as a costume designer in Taiwan, came to Japan to join the Professional Course at KTS upon hearing about the school from a teacher who had studied here in the past. Hsiang Hsuan studied at KTS for two years after acquiring language skills at a Japanese language school. We talked about how that came to be, her thoughts, what left an impression on her about her studies at KTS, and what weaving means to her.
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| 家書4/1/20-6/7/20 mom, i’m fine 4/1/20-6/7/20 "A piece inspired by the Coronavirus pandemic." (to be shown in "Kyoto Art for Tomorrow 2021") |
Tapestry Weaving Craftsperson at Kawashima Selkon Textiles Co, Ltd.
Currently living in Japan
Courses: 1st and 2nd year of the Professional Course (April 2018 to March 2020)
-Could you tell us about how you, Chen-san, who had been working as a costume designer in Taiwan, came to the decision to study textiles, and even to study abroad in Japan to do so?
I first learned about natural dyeing at a part-time job when I was a university student. I had started a handmade brand, and my interest in dyeing deepened when I made a piece using an indigo vat which belonged to an indigo dyeing artist I knew. After that, I was exposed to different kinds of fabric through my work as a costume designer for films, and it was very fun to come upon various textiles, from modern to old. Among them, I was always fascinated by traditional Japanese textiles. At the fabric market I often visited, there was a store specializing in importing Japanese fabric, and even the textures and patterns of the reproduction fabric sold there was very nice.
I wanted to know more about textiles, so I received training in natural dyeing and weaving at the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute. However, there was a limit to what I could learn in a short period of time, and I had to leave without taking a weaving class, for a job I really wanted to take. I always wanted to learn more after that, so I searched for a school where I could study dyeing and weaving. From the beginning, I had decided that my destination would be Japan, but didn't know where I could study traditional dyeing and weaving seriously. I had considered Master's programs at art schools, but the direction seemed different from learning practical techniques, and I couldn't find a vocational school in the field I wanted to study, so I couldn't decide where to go.
At that time, I was introduced to two teachers that had previously studied at KTS over 30 years ago, by a teacher in charge of the training I received at the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute. (The two teachers were in charge of the basic weaving class, but I couldn't speak to them very much during the training because I wasn't able to attend the class.)
-Could you elaborate on how the teachers, who once studied at KTS, recommended this school to you?
What the teachers told me was that the good thing about KTS is, that as a dyeing and weaving school, you can learn a great deal about the mechanics and technical aspects of weaving. They said that If I didn't mind that I wouldn't be getting a degree (because there is no credit or degree system), they would recommend KTS over art schools.
In addition, Japan has a wealth of materials related to textiles, because they had properly stored what had been brought in from all over the world since ancient times. I heard that they decided to go to KTS because they were introduced to the school by Yen Shui-long, who was called the father of Taiwanese crafts, and that in those days, it was difficult to enter KTS without a referral.
The teachers said they learned a lot about weaving structures back then at KTS. What was particularly interesting to hear was that it was too much content to learn alone, so it seems that the two studied different techniques, and taught each other. It seems that they really gained a wealth of knowledge about dyeing and weaving at KTS.
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| 願い (2020) "A piece in which I mainly used old books and linen selvedges." Reusing materials is something I am always trying to do. |
-Could you tell us about how you entered KTS after attending a Japanese language school?
I immediately looked up KTS after hearing this. From looking at the school's website, I thought I could certainly learn various techniques. Some classes were conducted in English, but all long-term courses of one year or more were in Japanese, so I started to study Japanese seriously.
To be honest, studying abroad was an unexpected thing in my life. When I decided to go, I was 25 years old, and I thought that I was at a stage where I had to work my hardest. In addition, I thought that if I spent too much time studying Japanese, I wouldn't be able to pursue my original purpose, so I came to Kyoto after learning the basics by myself for about half a year while working in Taiwan. I also shortened the study period at the Japanese language school as much as possible, and tried to speak with Japanese people in places other than school on a daily basis. After graduating from the N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test for half a year, I entered KTS.
Regarding Japanese proficiency, general universities require a level equivalent to N2 or higher, so I was really grateful that KTS accepted me. The people at KTS always responded with care. I was worried about my Japanese skills, but I thought it was a waste to spend more time, and believed that it was important to do what I wanted to do quickly. Even so, I was nervous every day when I first joined KTS. The two years I studied at school went by very fast.
-Is there anything that left a big impression on you about your studies at KTS?
There are times when I am still amazed that I started weaving at the school, and became able to handle thread. And when I look back and think about the most memorable and important thing, I think it would be the fact that my experiences at KTS broadened my views of the textile world. In addition to the full-time teachers, I received lectures from various people such as artists and part-time teachers, and now I can think more freely about my creations.
After graduating from university in Taiwan, I gradually became unable to spend time creating for myself, but by coming to Japan and studying at KTS, I was able to rediscover the joy of creating again. I had liked textured things from the beginning, and by studying dyeing and weaving, I feel that the media and techniques used in my work have expanded, and that I have become able to express more diversely by using different materials and weaving structures. Without those two years, my view of textiles would have remained narrow (though I think it still tends to be).
-What does weaving mean to you?
Weaving to me is a collection of time, space, and thoughts. Woven fabric is one of the things that are unique to humankind, not found in other animals, and people in the past and present have been making them in line with the climate and social customs of that era. They are both functional and emotional. For example, questions such as why did people spend so much time embroidering old aristocratic costumes, why are abstract patterns necessary in indigenous fabric, and what kind of background and demand invented the twill weaving structure, make us think about how profound woven fabric is. There are actually a lot of messages in one piece of fabric, and I think it's very interesting to savor that.
From the Industrial Revolution to modern overproduction, it seems that there is a tendency that the meaning contained in fabric is disappearing, but I think that is precisely why I have to ask myself constantly, how and for what I make textile pieces in this era.
*Hsiang Hsuan's work will be shown in "Kyoto Art for Tomorrow 2021" at the Museum of Kyoto, from January 23, 2021.
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| outsider in the dream (2019) (Seeds Award, Japan Textile Contest 2019) |
You can visit follow Hsiang Hsuan on instagram at @shung_shouko
Our "Student Voice" post by Hsiang Hsuan in 2020.
