Rachel Long - May 25'
'A Night Walk'
22 May - 8 June
1.How long have you been weaving for and has this connection to textiles been with you a long time?
I have been weaving professionally since 2015. I became fascinated by weaving on looms in 2011 when I was a student at the Massey University of Wellington textile department - where I started sampling weave designs on small table looms. I finished the Bachelor of Design with Honours majoring in textile design in 2015 and immediately brought a floor loom which I intuitively put together from photographs supplied by the previous owner. I was so intimidated to own and set up a floor loom. I couldn’t find any table looms for sale, so I jumped in the deep end by purchasing a huge Mecchia floor loom (and I haven’t looked back!). Intuitively, the whole processes felt right and I have been working at art, designing and making textiles ever since. So, I have been weaving away on looms for fourteen years. The connection to textiles has been with me since childhood. As a child, I recall all my elders being ‘creatives’, who were adept at knitting, sewing and stitch. So, becoming a weaver was a natural progression for me, and the benefits have been invaluable, diverse, and life-changing. For instance, owning a Mecchia opened up educational pathways, opportunities to exhibit works, whereby I was able to develop my own weaving ‘voice’, maintain connections to my elders, and discover novel ways to connect with others, and the world around me. 2.You received the Arts practitioner fund from Asia New Zealand Foundation and this made it possible to study at Kawashima textile school in Ichihara, Kyoto late last year. How did you learn this fund was applicable to you? And how would you describe what this opportunity taught you?
The weaving community in Wellington New Zealand is relatively small, and through our shared passion for weaving and the support we have for each other to succeed, our attention has often turned to ways in which we could develop our artisanship further. Creative colleagues who had already completed Arts Practitionerfunded Asia-New Zealand Foundation residencies in Asia believed that this would be a cornerstone opportunity for my practice. After careful consideration, I started investigating the grant criteria and kept talking with former alumni about whether or not I fit the criteria. Through this process, I believed I was (potentially)the perfect candidate to gain a residency at Kawashima Textile School. The application process (and, subsequently, the residency) taught me to dream big and to be confident in myself and my work.
3. This is your third show with us and I can see how your work has been elevated by your time in Japan and the new technique you learnt. Kasuri weaving is an advanced practice but your years of experience must have been a good foundation for you. Can you tell us about your experience of intensive learning over two months in a foreign place?
Before I left for Japan, I was often told by others that the KawashimaTextile School is one of the oldest and venerated academic institutions in greater Asia. Now I know this for myself. The beautiful mountains and rich biodiversity of Ichihara, together with the cultural exchanges with both Japanese and international weaving community, made attending the full immersion Kawashima Textile School weaving program a life course-altering experience for this weave practitioner. I was lived and attended classes at the school for sixty four days. During this time I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about Japanese culture, exchange ideas, share experiences, and make lifelong relationships with other like-minded weavers and practitioners. For me, it was such an honour to share thoughts and gain new knowledge from the multi-talented student group and tutors. The depth and breadth of knowledge gained as a direct result of the tuition was an exceptional experience. The commitment to cultivating and sharing Japanese textile traditions and culture at Kawashima Textile School was a gift which I will cherish for many years to come. The traditional methodology, techniques, practices, and concepts I learned from Emma Omote, (weaving tutor), Kozue Yamamoto (director) and Tomoki Fugikawa (dye tutor) I will be forever inspired by and I look forward to applying this knowledge into my textile practice.
4,Can you please explain to us what is unique about the Kasuri style of weaving? Or how it compares to your previous processes?
Japan has a rich history and a world wide reputation for magnificent Kasuri (described as the Japanese Ikat weaving). My time at the school was dedicated to learning to apply this particular textile process. This Kasuri ikat approach is where pattern can be created within the finished cloth by binding and dyeing lengths of yarn, the warp and weft before weaving. This effect leaves blurred lines of colour that create beautiful rhythms and textures within the textile composition. This is a new direction in my practice as before the Kasuri tuition I was mainly focusing on creating pattern, texture and rhythms in the textile compositions with the process of tapestry and deconstructing within the weave structure.
5. What did you want to capture in the concept of ‘A Night Walk’ for this exhibition and how does it relate to your time in Japan?
In the concept of “ A Night Walk” derived from my immersive experiences with the local culture (both human and nonhuman), and the reflections I had about the people, ecosphere, architecture, atmosphere, while out on my night walks - that became an important part of my daily routine while living in Ichihara. In particular, I loved the dramatic, soft ambience of the summer and autumn evenings in Ichihara. I would ‘surrender myself’ to the surroundings, in the softness of the evening pace, and use it as a kind of healing balm to ground myself, work through the daily learnings, and disentangle myself from the inner clutter in order to progress my work. This is a practice that I started in Japan, so is unique to this time in Kyoto, and I continue practicing here in Wellington New Zealand.
6. I can imagine being an artist can be very hard sometimes. We’ve known you for almost 6 years and I have long admired your composed and calm energy around your practice and being and really appreciate the positivity and attentiveness you bring to our working relationship. Do you have any tips to overcome tough moments or ride through them with composure?
Definitely Yuka’s cooking!!! during install that’s ‘the secret’,hehe! I think it is a two way street the positive energy is a collaboration in a relationship, so I cannot take all the credit. I absolutely love working with Public Record as I always feel supported and felt cared for. Yuka’s exceptional approach to curation and excellent communication skills undoubtedly maintained a culture at Public Record where I could thrive. When I am faced with tough moments in my own practice, I try to focus on the ‘big picture’ and understand that life is always in a state of flux, and that we are just in a fleeting moment which will always pass. This always has a grounding effect on me, then I can get on with the business of being curious to discover what artistic mysteries, narratives, creations, and so on, are on the horizon. I have also experienced burnout, so after a period of developing and growing, I understand the importance of self care - mentally, spiritually and physically. And surround yourself with like-minded friends, creators, family, who want to see you flourish. 7. It's beautiful that even though this new body of work has a kind of Japanese sensibility to it through this new weaving style, it still very much feels like it's been made with your hands and spirit. Did you find yourself exchanging aspects of your style with others during the course?
In my textile practice I continuously investigate ways that I can incorporate colours, textures and patterns into my works in order to represent aspects of te taiao ‘natural environment’ here in Aotearoa. In Japan, I often found myself internalising the Japanese natural and urban environment as inspiration for future work. Sharing these thoughts and inspirations with Japanese textile practitioners, I discovered that they too share a close and intimate relationship with their surroundings and the natural world. Their connection to the natural world was also evident to me in the way life is approached in a conscious, thoughtful, and mindful way where every aspect of ‘making’ was carefully considered and perfected over time, which gave deep integrity to each step of the weaving process 8. Do you have plans to return to Japan or other places for further study?
The world is full of rich textile history and techniques to learn! What is your next dream I would return to Japan in a second. Japan and the people and Kawashima Textile School will forever be in my heart. I could spend multiple lifetimes creating there. There are no words that can adequately express the life-changing learnings I attained not just from Kawashima, but also as a result of learning about the people and country as a whole. In many talks with friends in New Zealand, I often express my desire to someday not only return and reconnect with my fellow teachers and alumni, but explore those other provinces that have their own cultural, environmental, and artisan nuances and expressions. Buoyed by the wonderful experience in Japan, people have told me about a ‘Cockpit Studios’ residency in London. Who knows? That could be an exciting direction to take. In the meantime, I am very inspired and content to keep developing Kasuri work, play with scale and composition and see where the next chapter takes me.
Public Record Rachel Long's collection - you can browse from here
