About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 6 | Voices From Members of an Overseas Group -Jenny Gillis

Creating a Little Bit of KTS in Her Studio

At Kawashima Textile School (KTS) where there is a foundation of traditional tsuzure-ori, we arrange tsuzure-ori workshops for groups from overseas. KTS's tsuzure-ori workshop, which is part of a weaving retreat tour organized by textile artist Natalie Miller, has been held continuously since 2016, and is always filled with the enthusiasm of the weavers.

In Part 6, We will bring you another interview with one of the participants. Jenny Gillis, who lives in Australia and works for the state government, while creating a life with handweaving.

"At work on my weave in 2019"

-Could you tell us about your weaving background, and what made you interested in joining a workshop at KTS and to come back?

I have been following Natalie Miller’s Instagram for a number of years. I really loved her work but had never met her and in 2016 I saw a number of photos of a trip to Japan and I was very interested and registered my interest in a future trip to Japan. At the time I was not a tapestry weaver – I am an Australian Aboriginal and my grandmothers and ancestors were known for their weaving using natural grasses, bark and leaves to help them with their everyday life. I had learnt this type of weaving but wanted to learn more about tapestry style weaving. I have also travelled to Japan a number of times for work and leisure and thought this would be a way to combine my interest in weaving and Japan.

In late 2017 Natalie contacted me to see if I was interested in joining her on the first tsuzure-ori weaving course at KTS and I signed up straight away. That first year was a year of many firsts for me – learning about tsuzure-ori, learning to weave on a loom, getting to know the team at KTS, Natalie, Tasneem and the other ladies who were part of the group. I felt a very strong connection to KTS and the people there and loved every minute. Some nights the caretaker even had to tell us it was time to leave – we loved working on our weaves so much. I’ve now returned to KTS three times and was to return last December – I’ve really missed it last year as I love immersing myself in the KTS and Japanese way of life there, catching up with Natalie, Tasneem and finding out what everyone has been up to and planning to weave. The team at KTS under the guidance of Mari-san are always there to help us and I am truly thankful for every visit and the assistance they have given all of us.

"A little bit of KTS and Clouds (2019) in my studio"

-What do you remember most about Kondo-sensei’s way of teaching?

Kondo-sensei is a master and I have learnt so much from him and feel very lucky to have been taught by him and develop my work. He is always in the atelier with us and available for questions and ideas for our weaving projects. He is encouraging, even with my first few wobbly goes at weaving. Sometimes when we forget to follow the technique, he is there to remind us how to do it the right way.

Over time I have been trying to learn Japanese and I know Kondo-sensei understands us more too. It has also been great to meet and work with an interpreter, Harumi-san who has been a wonderful addition to the team.

-How has your experience at KTS influenced you?

KTS has been a major influence on my work. I didn’t know how to do tsuzure-ori or any kind of tapestry weaving and now it is a passion of mine. I weave as often as I can and during the past year during COVID I have continued to weave and even completed an online rug weaving course and use many of the techniques I learnt from Kondo-sensei. I still refer back to the original samples I wove and have used all of the techniques in my weaves. I’ve also created a little bit of KTS in my home studio with tools and wool I purchased there – it makes me feel close to KTS. I look forward to being able to weave again at KTS – I have lots of ideas and can’t wait to return.

"Inspired by KTS"

You can follow Jenny on instagram at @making.it

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About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 5 | Voices From Members of an Overseas Group -Tasneem Tyebkhan

An Enchanting Place, KTS’s Atelier is Like a Tapestry

Tsuzure-ori is a weaving technique that is popular around the world, known as "tapestry weaving." Kawashima Textile School (KTS) can hold Tsuzure-ori workshops with an interpreter for groups from overseas, set according to the participants’ level or experience. The workshops have been well received as a special experience, as students are able to design and prepare a cartoon, and weave their own unique tapestry on a Nishijin-style loom.

In Parts 5 and 6 of the Tsuzure-Ori series, we share interviews with two students who have been participating in the Tsuzure-ori workshop every year through the weaving retreat organized by textile artist Natalie Miller, and ask about how they came to take part, and what left an impression on them at KTS. Part 5 is an interview with Tasneem Tyebkhan, who lives in Hong Kong and works as an interior designer.

Ever since I majored in Interior Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design, I have always had an interest in textiles due to the richness and depth that it presents. I am fascinated how textiles can be made part of an object and how it can be formalized into a third dimension. My journey into textiles was rekindled with my attending two workshops by Natalie Miller. This brought back my desire to pursue my interest in this discipline after many years. With Natalie, I learned how to weave on a hand loom using various types of yarns such as wool, cotton, and mohair, in different thicknesses and weights. I was able to explore free weaving of organic lines in a balanced composition of colours and textures.

My mother’s love of Sogetsu Ikebana, followed by my education in design, greatly influenced my deep appreciation and love of Japanese works in architecture and furniture. I have always been in awe of the mastery of balance, composition, timelessness and quietness in Japanese works. When Natalie organized the first workshop to Kawashima Textile School (KTS), I leapt at the opportunity to attend. I was able to visit Japan as a student to learn the Japanese way and to experience Japanese culture first hand. I am truly honoured, humbled and most appreciative to have had the opportunity to learn the Japanese technique of Tsuzure weaving, and with it, patience, attention to detail and creation of balance and harmony.

Rocks 2: Deep Water Bay, HK. (2019)

I visited KTS for three consecutive years in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Each trip, the short but intense training I received from Kondo-sensei of learning how to focus on a single weaving technique before moving on to something new was an invaluable lesson to me. He taught how to create depth and texture, while also imparting knowledge of composition. Kondo-sensei has taught me patience, to stop, to be careful, to look at something, to take time and to notice details, all of which are important disciplines.

KTS is truly an enchanting place. In addition to the unique training from Kondo-sensei, the ambience of the studio filled with large wooden looms evokes a sense of structure and stability, which is comparable to how a tapestry is formed. The architecture of the school’s buildings, the surrounding quaint village, and the dense blanket of pine trees all add to the charm that drew me back to the school year after year. I greatly missed spending time at KTS in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I yearn to return in 2021 to continue my journey at this most mesmerizing place, and to further my learning under the masters of Japanese weaving.

Rocks 1: Kyoto, Japan. (2018)

You can follow Tasneem on instagram at @tasneem_tyebkhan

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About the School: Tsuzure-Ori Series 4 | Voices From Members of an Overseas Group -Textile Artist Natalie Miller

Visiting KTS Every Year With Passionate Weaving Friends, Falling in Love With the Location

There is a group of artists who continue to visit from overseas, who say they are inspired by, and find value in the space to immerse themselves in weaving in the environment of the Rakuhoku area, filled with nature, and the experience of weaving on traditional Nishijin-style tsuzure looms. They are Natalie Miller, an Australia-based textile artist who works on a global scale, and the members of her group.

Over three weeks starting from Part 4 of the Tsuzure-Ori series, we will be sharing interviews with Natalie and two members of the group who have been participating since the very beginning, on how they came to participate in the workshop, and what left an impression on them at KTS. We start with an interview with Natalie.

-Could you tell us about your weaving background, and what made you interested in organizing a workshop at KTS and to come back?

I am an Architect and textile artist. I have been tapestry weaving for many years in Australia. I teach tapestry weaving and also host weaving retreats around the world where weaving is a large part of the culture. I had organized a weaving retreat in Koh Samui in Thailand where one of the students, Aroonprapai (Prang) Rojanachotikul, had studied weaving at Kawashima Textile school. Prang spoke very highly of the school, and I was very intrigued and knew I had to visit.

So I organized a visit to KTS 6 years ago and was blown away by how incredible it is. All the large tapestry weavings that hung on the walls, the weavings that are in process, the looms, the wool, the colours, the dyeing studio, and not to mention the tapestry factory, it was amazing. I knew I had to share this place with fellow weavers as they would fall in love with it as I did. The first year I organized a trip to KTS and it involved a dyeing experience with the master dyer at KTS. The years to follow, the trips involved dyeing and a week of tapestry weaving. The group I bring are all very passionate about weaving and we are fully emerged in the process. We would spend 6 days weaving sometimes 14 hour days at the beautiful handmade looms creating a highly detailed and intricate weave.

-What do you remember most about Kondo-sensei’s way of teaching?

Kondo-sensei is a talented weaver and has great knowledge of tsuzure weaving and also many types of weaving. His passion of weaving (tsuzure-ori) obi is demonstrated in his intricate woven detail in his works. He has an incredible knowledge of design and detail and taught us many techniques. He is kind and very patient with the students. We were provided with an incredible translator. The translation process is smooth and Kondo-sensei demonstrates all his techniques and visually explains his process which helps immensely to understand the process.

-How has your experience at KTS influenced you?

Every December for the last 4 years I have spent time weaving at KTS, something I very much look forward to each year. Unfortunately, Covid cancelled 2020 and may even stop us from weaving at KTS in 2021. However I’m very much looking forward to spending time again at KTS in the future, as it is just such a wonderful experience. The weaving school is surrounded by the hills of Kyoto and beautiful temples. Snow in the winter, and a local Onsen amongst the Japanese trees. Kondo- sensei has taught me some wonderful techniques that I now use in my everyday practice. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and time spent at KTS in Kyoto, Japan, and the warmth and passion of the staff at KTS make it a truly wonderful experience.

the flowers of the sun (2019)

You can visit Natalie's website Natalie Miller or follow her on instagram at @natalie_miller_design

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