1

Janet Stoyel. Winston Churchill Fellowship: Katagami

My Winston Churchill Award was granted under the Science and Technology category. My own work & technology. I specialise in the twin technologies of CO2 Photon Laser and Ultrasound, creating decorative artistic outcomes for a wide range of architects, interior specifiers, fashion designers and for public and private commissions. My textile practice was born from environment and ecological concerns. The textile industry historically has been, and still is in many instances, a major polluter of water courses, my Master of Philosophy Degree: Finishes & Treatments for Apparel & Interior Applications, at the RCA, London simply reinforced the notion that printers and dyers, students in particular, are totally unconcerned that the dyes and chemicals they use with such abandonment are disposed of down the domestic water courses, cost a small fortune and are harmful to the environment. The decorative printing process, Devorè was the catalyst that persuaded me to search for and build new technology that I felt would become a clean decorative textile finishing tool for the future. To this end I built a large CO2 Photon Laser in collaboration with the MOD, from components designed to fire missile on a Challenger Tank and an ultrasound machine built from components derived from medical body scanning technology. I patent protected these twin technologies and their outcomes at great personal expense but have never been able to protect then from bigger business encroachments. The idea behind the activity: For the past 15 years I have steadily advanced my artistic laser development and associated design capabilities - not surprisingly the majority of my commercial designs involve cutwork. I am drawn to inspiration displaying negative/positive attributes – bare tree branches against a pewter lead coloured sky, reflective patterns on water, cold, frosty ice on a windowpane, oil spill rainbows on tarmac, lace in all its glorious permutations, architecture in all its scale and glory.

Inspiration in architecture – Toronto. Photo: J.Stoyel

2

History. As a mature student studying for a B.A. (Hons) in Constructed Textiles at the University of Central England, (1989-92) and as part of my academic art programme, I studied Far Eastern Art. As a textile student I was interested in researching the traditional methods of dyeing and weaving in Japan, and, my final thesis Consequential Colour, concentrated on the use of dyes and mordants, exploring the relationship between natural versus chemical dyestuffs. This interest was particularly focussed on the pattern and colour aspects of Japanese textile production through the mediums of dye, print and weave.

Woven brocade: John McMullan Collection. Photo: J.Stoyel

During the summer of 1991 I travelled to Japan to spend six weeks in a notable Japanese Textile School, Kawashima, there to learn first hand the traditional techniques of Japanese Design: Dyeing and Weaving. The courses at Kawashima Textile School are tailored to match each person’s expertise and area of interest, as a weaver my personal course of study revolved around dye in many different permutations with small weave samples generated to support the practical and theoretical model of work. I learnt:

• Indigo dyeing - natural versus chemical, • Kasuri resist techniques – a process whereby either or both of the warp and weft yarns are bound

and dyed before being woven creating pre-determined colour woven pattern on the loom, • Shibori – a resist and dye process reliant upon clamping; wrapping, binding, stitching or folding to

create pattern, • Kanoke – a resist process whereby cloth is tightly stitched over the entire surface of a cloth, • Katazome – rice paste resist whereby a paper stencil is used to impart design. • Yusen – a process using resist paste whereby designed are drawn onto the cloth surface and the

spaces filled in with dye colour. • Sumi e – hand drawing with brushes directly onto cloth.

3

Woven brocade : John McMullan Collection. Photo: J.Stoyel

As fascinating as all the techniques were the most impact from the visit, was an organised factory visit, a memory that remains fixed in my mind, of a bent and gnarled old man, stained blue up to his elbows complete with blue lips, blue clothes, blue hair, everything indigo steeped in the colour blue, cutting stencils and using them to indigo pattern lengths of kimono and Yukata cloth. The stencils were called Katagami.

Katagami Stencil. Photo: J.Stoyel

4

Katagami Stencil. Photo: J.Stoyel

Katagami. Katagami is the name given to a Japanese paper stencil; the word translates loosely from Japanese to read ‘pattern paper’. The stencil sheets are made of two, four or six layers of thick handmade, durable paper, drawn from the inner bark of the Mulberry tree, laminated together in cross-laid format, with the sticky, tannin-rich juice of unripe persimmons. After being laminated, these sheets are dried in the sun and hung in smoke filled rooms for approximately 10 days. The combination of tannin in the persimmon juice and resin in the sawdust smoke both strengthens and waterproofs the paper making it extremely durable and able to withstand hundreds of repeated uses in a printing process. The traditional base paper for cutting as stencils – Kozo or Mitsumata paper is from Hiroshima or Gifu.

Katagami Stencil. Photo: J.Stoyel

5

The practice of stencil cutting in Japan has not changed very much in the last 200 years. Japanese stencil cutters use steel blade knives and punches – marukiri, these they keep razor sharp with a sharpening stone. The carver sits at a low, tilted table made from a hardwood, with the tools of his trade. Prepared papers, lightly oiled, are stacked 6 – 9 – 12 sheets together and registered precisely by securing with paper twists through punched holes at regular interval around the paper edges. The top piece of paper carries a printed – inked design and the carver cuts through the multiple sheets of paper following this predetermined pattern.

The rich red colour of a katagami: paper, persimmon lamination sun and smoke. Photo: J.Stoyel

The cutting of a Katagami stencil is by tradition a man’s craft and the procedure followed by present day stencil cutters has not changed greatly over the past 200 years. Aspiring katagami cutters are apprentice trained for seven years in one of four specialisms:

• Hikabori = pull cutting. Photo: J.Stoyel

6

• Kiribori = fine dot patterns. Photo: J.Stoyel

• Dogubori = punch cutting. Photo: J.Stoyel

7

• Tsukibori = push cutting. Photo: J.Stoyel

In katagami the larger open areas of cut pattern require a support medium and rely upon sophisticated reinforcements of thread and mesh. In some literature it is rumoured that the reinforcing thread sandwiched within the katagami layers was the hair from a woman’s head. Research within Japan and microscope analysis proves this to be incorrect – the threads are made of hair-fine silk.

Fine silk thread insertions supporting open areas of design. Photo: J.Stoyel

8

The oldest support method is a thread linking technique – ito tsuri, in which the stencil parts are held together by strands of silk thread, these threads are so fine they leave no trace on a printed dyed textile. The thick persimmon juice turns the silk threads dark and glossy. The silk thread insertion techniques is a woman’s speciality , just as stencil cutting is a man’s work, at this time there is only one artisan and her apprentice left to practice this traditional skill in Japan. (The master of ito tsuri has recently died in old age)

Fine silk thread insertions supporting open areas of design . Photo: J.Stoyel

A thread insertion technique - ito ire, was developed as an alternative support mechanism to the time consuming and elaborate ito tsuri method – this method involves a fine silk webbing being sandwiched inside the finished 2 part stencil after the stencil has been cut. Modern methods of gauze backing – shaburi, invented in 1922 have practically replaced the ito ire technique. Open weave silk gauze is lacquered to one side of the finished stencil this imparts sufficient support and strength to make any lamination technique unnecessary.

Intricately cut katagami stencil with supporting silk threads. Photo: J.Stoyel

9

Using relatively simple cutting tools and no more than two miniscule registration points artisans are able to create the most exacting repetitive pointillistic and striped patterns imaginable – absolutely breathtaking craftsmanship, technique and design.

Katagami Stencil: Caroline Staley Gallery, Seattle. USA. Photo: J.Stoyel The indigo dyed paper stencils in themselves are artefacts of great beauty, so intricate in appearance with their fine line designs comprising of scrolling floral elements and arching curves, the rigorous print process belying their seeming fragility. The beauty of a hand carved katagami stencil seems to surpass the limits of human ability.

Multi-pattern Katagami Stencil. Caroline Staley Gallery. Seattle. USA. Photo: J. Stoyel

10

Carolyn Staley in her Gallery.

The Caroline Staley Gallery specialises in Japanese prints and is responsible for selling katagami stencils from the John Huston collection. The katagami Carolyn offers for sale are of exceptional quality and design. Each piece is quite unique, the stencils are mounted on cream card and covered with loose-leaf protective see-through material. Prices for katagami from this particular collection begin with a price point of approximately $350 and rise in price to several thousand dollars.

Katagami Stencil: Caroline Staley Gallery, Seattle. USA. Photo: J.Stoyel

11

A variety of implicit challenges in the design and application of katagami makes their artistic and technical success even more remarkable. Yardage dimensions, garment construction and the necessity of pattern repeats impose significant practical considerations. Additionally, the challenge of expressing texture, depth, shading, motion and subtlety solely in the absolute terms of figure and ground require a stencil designer to develop a wide repertoire of inventive effects.

The majority of stencils were intended for dyeing repeat patterns on yardage rather than for dyeing isolated motifs. Their width is determined by the standard width of Japanese fabric (approximately fourteen inches), while the height would correspond to the length of the pattern repeat, as short as five inches or as much or more than three feet.

Flowering vines on a field of undulating stripe

Above, stencil with pattern of rippling stripes, thrust-carved and reinforced with silk webbing. In this technique, a knife is inserted vertically into the paper with the cutting edge facing away from the carver and the blade is pushed up and down through the paper in a delicate sawing motion, like a jigsaw. Thought to be the most versatile of all carving methods, it is primarily identified with airy free-form patterns on an open ground.

Sparrows cavorting in striped hoops

Above, the rhythmic nature of repeat patterns is an essential part of their aesthetic impact; the interplay of positive and negative space and the dance between stylized, discrete objects and continuous, overall elements is a visual tranquilizer,

The potential of stencils to produce multiples contributed to the explosion of stencil dyeing during the Edo and Meiji periods. Like woodblock prints and popular literature, stencil-dyed textiles supplied an increasingly affluent, aesthetically hungry middle class.

The insatiable demand for new fashions at this time stimulated a market for stencil patterns which has perhaps never been equaled in the world of textile design.

12

Chrysanthemums like cherry flowers Sword fern fronds Boys' Day Bouquets

In addition to changes in fashion and textile technologies of the time, the rise of commerce and an affluent merchant class in the early 17th century had an important influence on textile manufacture. Because relatively few textiles produced by the stencil-resist process have survived, forming a picture of the application of these stencils must be gathered from alternate sources. Turning to woodblock prints, urban Edo life is awash in stencil-dyed textiles, from formal samurai dress to simple work clothing.

Starburst tie dye

Used to apply patterns to kimono, futon and banners, persimmon juice-soaked, smoked paper stencils offer a unique view into the history of Japanese fashion and graphic design. The existence of katagami helps to reconstruct something of the culture that developed around the textile industry and the social and the cultural nuances imbedded in their materials, construction, aesthetic and use.

This show marks the eighth year the gallery has presented the John Huston Collection of Japanese paper stencils, believed to be the largest private collection of katagami in the United States. Each of the stencils in this exhibition has been presented in a major exhibition in American museums from New York to Chicago to San Francisco. It is with great delight that Carolyn Staley Fine Japanese Prints once again showcases these masterworks of Japanese design and craftsmanship. February 2009

* I wish to thank Carolyn Staley for the generous use of her words and katagami visuals. (blue section)

13

Mr. John McMullen Los Angeles. Photo: J.Stoyel

Mr. McMullen has lived and worked in Japan for much of his adult life; he is considered to be an authority on Japanese artefacts and has a notable collection of katagami stencils. Now retired, John and his wife – Bobby organise guided tours to Japan so others may experience the culture from a Westernised, native-speakers point of view. The accounts of his travels and his vast collection of books made the visit to his home especially interesting .To honour my visit he wears a Katagami printed shirt and bola tie made from a Japanese sword guard. I purchased my 1st katagami from John.

John McMullen: Katagami stencil printed textile. Photo: J.Stoyel

Japanese textile stencils in the collection of the Seattle Art Museum. Richard E. Fuller, the Seattle Art Museum’s Cofounder and first Director was almost alone in the museum field in recognising the aesthetic importance of these stencils when he wrote in the annual report for

14

1934 – the museum’s first full year of operation – that the Japanese collection had been strengthened by the addition of “over 50 antique stencils which had been used for the decoration of textiles”. His remarks stressed the role of the stencil as an expression of Japanese originality. William J Rathbone. Curator of Japanese Art Cutting techniques: Susanna Kuo. 1985 Seattle Art Museum. The kiribori technique is used to cut very fine dot patterns. The cutting tool, a kiri, is a tiny crescent shaped awl. The cutter braces both elbows against the table and guides the tools with the right hand, holding it absolutely perpendicular to the paper, while the thumb of the left hand presses the tool down and the other four fingers rotate or twist it, so that it cuts a a tiny disc of paper. The kiribori technique can produce extraordinary fine patterns; in one square inch as many as eight hundred holes can be cut. The dogubori technique (punch cutting) uses special punches to cut many different shapes, such as diamonds, ovals, crescents, squares and rectangles. Dogubori cutters make their own tools, therefore before they can become good cutter they must first be expert toolmakers. Each dogu or punch is composed of paired metal parts that form specific shapes when fitted together and bound to a wooden handle. Dogubori can be used to produce minute patterns with such whimsical and poetic names as sea slugs – sword point lozenges pear sections – hail stones and plum blossoms. The hikabori technique (pull cutting) also known as shimabori (stripe cutting) is a technique mainly used for stripe patterns. The knife has a ¾ inch blade with a long shank that fits into a cord-bound split bamboo handle. The tsukibori technique is reputedly the oldest. The tool is essentially the same as the hikabori knife except that it is sharpened with a slight concave curve. The knife is held with the cutting edge away from the cutter. The index finger of the left hand pushes against the back of the blade, while the right hand moves it through the paper in a sawing motion over a hole in the cutting boards which allows the knife tip to penetrate. Santa Barbara Museum of Art. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s collection of Japanese paper stencils consists of fewer than two hundred stencils, a relatively small holding compared with the thousands that are found in western and Japanese collections today. However the major forms of stencil are well represented in this small collection, and the majority are of exceptional quality and condition. To fill a gap in the expanding fields of study of Japanese textiles and popular culture, a comprehensive examination of this little-recognised art was undertaken using the museum’s collection as a core and complimenting it with stencils and related works from other public and private collections the result is the book: * Carved Paper. The Art of the Japanese Stencil. Susanna Kuo. Santa Barbara Museum of Art. The definitive book on the subject of Japanese stencils. Beloit College in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, is a red brick campus and the home of the Wright Museum of Art. The college has the endowed museum specifically for Beloit students and there is an annual scholarship in Curatorial Studies combined to courses of study. The museum has three galleries and was showing an exhibition of Chinese garments and textiles that coincided with my visit.

Unfortunately the curator – Judy Hartland had left on a study visit to China with her new Director at the time of my visit and it was not possible to examine the 4 pieces of katagami within the Wright Museum Collection.

15

Atlanta – Pattie Quinn is the owner Aurora Glass - a hot glass studio workshop specialising in the design and manufacture of diachronic fused glass jewellery. Pattie and her husband, Pat, have travelled widely in the orient and as esoteric collectors have assembled many inspirational decorative pieces of art. Six unusual samples form the nucleus of a stencil collection – these items are of Chinese origin – not Japanese. The cutting techniques are indistinguishable between the two cultures, the differences lying in the paper base materials and the subject matter. The Chinese stencils are cut in card but also mimicked in transparent tissue paper, bright poppy red tissue paper used not for printing purposes but for window decoration and screen patterns. The designs are culturally unmistakable Chinese versus Japanese – google-eyed fish versus carp, full blown peony versus chrysanthemum, slim leaf versus fat ginko. The Chinese paper cuts did not have an artisan status, in Japan the cutters are revered - in China the labourer sits at a market stall and makes paper cuts for the tourist industry selling them for pennies. In Japan the process is totally controlled – in China it is spontaneous, the Japanese do not use scissors for cutting – the Chinese excel at scissor cutting. It was important to make comparisons between the two types of stencil and understand the cultural nuances between cutting technique that exhibit so many similarities. Atlanta. Georgia Tech. Institute of Paper Science and Technology. Cindy Bowden is the Director of this American Museum dedicated to paper. As with Beloit College, the Museum was created through an endowment, it forms an integral part of the Georgia Tech Institute of Paper Science and Technology. The Museum revolves around the perspective life of paper; it has a technology centre with sample machinery on view, galleries for the exhibiting of paper related product – both historical and artistic, a comprehensive book shop and integral college courses – both academic and practical.

Georgia Tech: Institute of Paper Science & Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Photo: J.Stoyel

16

The Museum did not own any Japanese stencils – the purpose of the visit to this particular museum was with the intention for scoping out the feasibility for future workshops, master-classes and exhibitions. In the summer of 2006 a visiting Japanese Master had introduced stencil cutting to the general public and the response had been overwhelming. The feasibility of a future collaborative event with this museum is possible.

Watermark in handmade paper. Photo: J. Stoyel

The wires for actual watermarking were originally bent by the use of pliers forming the designs – letters, emblems and devices that were sewn or laced with fine wire to the surface of hand-moulds. The first use of solder in fastening the wire letters or designs dates back to 1870. In later years the delicate watermarking devices and designs have been made by the electrotyping process.

Copper design for patterning handmade paper: Japanese symbols represented in stencils. Photo: J.Stoyel The metal deckles constructed from copper wire were of particular interest as they portray quite closely the Mon symbols prevalent in Japanese culture and seen in printed katazome textiles.

17

Handmade paper book: Buddhist Manuscript. Photo: J. Stoyel Mr. Dard Hunter (1883-1966) is associated with the Institute and Museum. He wrote the book Papermaking: The history and technique of an ancient craft and he is still recognised as the world’s foremost authority on paper and papermaking. His book is the classic work on papermaking used as a test and reference in classroom, museums and libraries. Hunter is considered to be the most ardent proponent of the craft of papermaking who ever lived. There was no evidence of stencils within the museum collection. Atlanta. Mr Kenneth O’Lam. Mr O’Lam is an American Chinese artist, he has a business specialising in Chinese artistic paper cuts and supports a group of paper cutters in a village in the Northern Province of China. The paper cuts from this collective group are tailored towards the American consumer market and offered as fine art items, mounted and framed ready for wall hanging. Unlike the two dimensional stencil cuts previously researched Mr. O’Lam’s paper cuts have three and four dimensional qualities, they are cut in sections on plain card and paper, coloured with paints and inks and assembled to mimic; wild-life, foliage, architecture – they may consist of many miniscule pieces and combine several different weights of card and paper in one finished piece. A collaborative venture with this artistic collective has been discussed and is feasible. The Museum of Fine Art, Boston. I had an appointment to meet Ms Angie Symonds, Curator of Japanese Culture, at the Museum of Fine Art, to examine katagami stencils. Due to the large size of the collection it had been decided that upon this particular visit I would investigate stencils with geometric pattern. The MFA holds the William Sturgis Biglow collection and has in the past had 2 exhibitions to present katagami to the public. The collection is extensive, many pieces have not seen the light of day before and a large percentage of the stencils are un-catalogued. Two trolleys with box after grey box came from the archives where the katagami were stored – true delights and treasures separated by museum quality tissue paper.

18

William Sturgis Bigelow Collection. Museum of Fine Art, Boston. USA Photo: J.Stoyel

William Sturgis Bigelow Collection: Museum of Fine Art, Boston. USA: Photo: J.Stoyel I found it an absolute privilege to be able to handle the katagami (without white gloves) and to take photographs of anything of interested. I spent a very enjoyable week ensconced in archive material.

19

I was informed that W. S. Biglow never knew what he had transported back to the USA, the katagami stencils had been stacked and bundled together on the dock, flotsam and jetsam, when the artifacts he had purchased, and that now form a large representation of the MFA Biglow Collection, were being loaded onto ships – the katagami were given to him just to fill a space in the ships hold. Ms. Symonds informed me that the Rhode Island School of Design was also a beneficiary of the William Sturgis Bigelow katagami collection and that the school has a notable museum of its own where the stencils may be called up for viewing. I contacted the Curator at Rhode Island and have an open invitation to visit, next time I am in the USA, to examine their collection of stencils. While I was visiting the MFA a person contacted me to tell me of a large, new un-catalogued collection of katagami stencils that her friend had recently donated to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. At some point in the future I will contact the Curator there to discover if it is feasible to view that particular collection. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Metropolitan Museum made its first textile acquisition in 1879—and has been committed to building a comprehensive collection of textiles ever since—no centralized facility existed at the Museum for their storage, study, and conservation until 1995. In that year, the 25,000-square-foot Antonio Ratti Textile Center opened on the ground floor of the Museum. The center is made possible by a major grant from the Fondazione Antonio Ratti of Como, Italy. Additional support has been provided by the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation, Toyota Motor Corporation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Chinese and Japanese textiles predominate in the collection of the Department of Asian Art. Particularly well represented are court robes from China, among the most lavish and visually imposing of all of the textile art forms in Asia, and Noh costumes from Japan. Also notable is the comprehensive collection of Chinese rank badges, worn by civil and military officers of the imperial court. Examples range from the early fifteenth century—roughly when they were first used—to the end of the imperial era at the beginning of the twentieth century. Important aspects of the Japanese collection include Buddhist vestments (kesa) and secular apparel of the Edo period (1615–1868). And, Katagami stencils. The Antonio Rattie Study Centre within the MET museum in New York, holds the collection of Japanese Katagami Stencils. All the collection is visually represented on computer and before being allowed to access the stencils it is necessary to sit at the screen and select the particular stencils you wish to examine. There is a limit of 10 pieces available to view and unlike the MFA where boxes were simply delivered for my delectation and touch at this centre two assistant curators were employed to locate, deploy and display each artefact.

Katagami Stencil. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. USA. Photo: J.Stoyel

20

It was permitted to photograph the stencils without flash but there was no touching allowed at this venue – white gloves or no. Photocopies of the designs as black and white images drawn from the computer could be purchased at $1 per copy but these paled into insignificance at the actual beauty and artistry of the examples I had selected to view. Quite by chance towards the close of my Winston Churchill travelling the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA contacted me to ask if I would be interested in taking on some commission work. I was subsequently sent an email visual of an artefact taken from the Antonio Rattie Collection, this to be use for the design inspiration of an exclusive Metropolitan Museum of Art scarf.

This artefact sent by the Metropolitan Museum was a Japanese Katagami stencil.

Katagami Stencil. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. USA. Photo: J.Stoyel

Working drawings and sample for Katagami inspired Metropolitan Museum of Art commission. Photo: J.Stoyel

The client retains all the design rights to the product and in this manner assures product copyright is maintained.

21

Designs were drawn into a sketch book and cut with a scalpel to test design feasibility. Once suitability of design was approved, fabrics, colours and required sizes decided upon, the actual laser cutting of the design into the fabric was sampled in 3 different colourways. This product took 12 minutes to complete.

Laserlace Leaf Border. Photo: J.Stoyel

CO2 Photon Laser. Laser technology is not new. Lasers have been used for a long time in the sail-making industry; they are also extensively used in the cutting and production of automotive airbags and weather balloons. But what is new is the diverse use to which modern laser technology is now being directed. As a textile finishing tool the laser shows great potential. Currently there are many type of laser on the world market, the CO2 Photon Laser being the best for cutting textile materials and paper based products, this relates to the fact that natural and manmade polymers are generally translucent and the wavelength of the CO2 laser possesses the most complimentary wavelength for cutting such materials. The choice of a particular laser system depends upon end use requirements and systems may be constructed to meet different production capabilities, this includes a high degree of automation. The laser I own is a sealed tube, flat bed machine powered by computer controlled technology and fed with a specialised laser gas containing helium, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The machine has its own cooling and independent air-flow system. Exhaust fumes are filtered through a technical cloth and evacuated to air thereafter. The machinery performs on an X – Y axis travelling across and down the length of the table as it works. Designs are drawn using a specialist autocad package, converted to DXF and PDQ file format, then sent to the laser that translates the information for laser suitability. On a synthetic material the laser cuts (vaporises) and seals as it goes, the laser beam is invisible so designs appear on the perforated aluminium bed surface as if by magic. Anything that may be drawn with a pencil has the potential to be cut on the system. Accuracy is within .005 mm and beam width may be varied to compliment different depths and qualities of material.

22

My professional work revolves around CO2 Photon Laser technology and obviously - cutting, I have experimented for many years with hand cutting and carving techniques and this still forms a strong element of my creative processes. The opportunity to explore the mechanical replication of the aesthetic qualities and technical expertise of the Japanese katagami cutters is now afforded to me through my own technological expertise and equipment. I did not want to gather inspiration and knowledge second hand from books; I needed to discover hidden and previously unseen artefacts with which to document and catalogue aspects of the hand-eye stencil design and technique, aspect that I knew would translate into contemporary laser language and for this reason I sought out katagami with particular pattern and movement. The Winston Churchill Fellowship research provided me with the wherewithal to accomplish many personal and professional dreams and aspirations. The knowledge and information I gathered on my Winston Churchill Fellowship continues to inform the nucleus and ideas of my work.

Katagami Stencil: Hemp pattern. Photo: J.Stoyel

Triangle Laserlace Cushions - Katagami geometric repeating pattern: Hemp.

Laser cut into a Teflon coated material – stain proof & water resistant. Photo: J.Stoyel

23

Triangle Laserlace length - Katagami geometric repeating pattern.

The Co2 Photon Laser cuts and seals as it goes, patterns appear as if by magic as the invisible laser beam travels across the materials vaporising the pattern ad infinitum and thereby creating large luxurious lengths of

futuristic synthetic lace. Photo: J.Stoyel

Aftermath: A smaller scarf based upon a chrysanthemum design was commission designed for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and became their season’s best seller in 2007. I personally manufactured 4,600 pieces of chrysanthemum Laserlace for the museum shop and the design was sold through MET outlets throughout the world.

The Chrysanthemum Scarf designed and created in a similar format as the leaf border and border shawl above has become a signature piece of work representing my cutting technique and expertise in the field of decorative use of CO2 Photon Laser technology.

24

Metropolitan Museum of Art Katagami Stencil: Inspiration. Met ©.

Free rein is given in the design stages of a product commission and copyright is guaranteed to: Janet Stoyel and the museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Chrysanthemum Laserlace Shawl. Photo: J.Stoyel

25

My Winston Churchill Fellowship enabled primary research to study historically important examples of Japanese hand carved Katagami stencils within select museums, galleries and private collections within the USA. The trip during October/November 2006 crossed the USA accessing collections and meeting katagami aficionados in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston and New York provided valuable insights into Japanese design, the collectors, the museums who own and the galleries that sell such decorative artefacts. Looking back in retrospect it would seem that the visit to Kawashima and that particular moment in time unlocked a personal design ethic that has since played a pivotal role in the direction of my own art and career. It opened my eyes to the detrimental effects of dye disposal, whether natural or of chemical extraction and to the untapped possibilities for contemporary, technological katagami patterning. Today katagami are cherished for their exquisite craftsmanship and the exceptional insight they provide into Japanese history and design. Many notable katagami examples remain undiscovered in the archives of Western museums and private collections and I shall continue to seek them out and to marvel at and enjoy. I wish to thank the Winston Churchill Foundation for providing me with opportunity to follow my heart, the chance to fill my eyes and mind with knowledge and wonder and to meet so many interesting and dedicated people on my quest and travels, many of whom remain in contact and are now like-minded lifelong friends.

Bridal Shawl. Roses. Inspiration: katagami. Janet Stoyel© Winston Churchill Fellowship 2009