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Coquitlam guild weaves the Japanese way

Big exhibit by Coquitlam Weavers, Spinners Guild opens Friday
japan

The result of a year-long study of Japanese weaving techniques will be on show this month by the Coquitlam Weavers and Spinners Guild.

Friday, the 22-member group will open its most prolific exhibit to date in a display at Place des Arts titled From East to West.

Formed in 1973, the guild, which meets monthly at the Coquitlam arts venue, picks a theme each year to examine, said president Rosie Kerschbaumer who teaches fibre arts to adults at Place des Arts.

“One of our members has been a big fan of Japanese textiles and I went there last summer so we thought we would give it a go,” she said.

During their discovery, the guild looked at traditional and modern trends in Japanese textile creation.

And with a grant from their parent organization, the Association of Northwest Weavers’ Guilds, they hosted a workshop on Shibori dyeing, which is similar to tie-dye.

The group also dug into the history of Japanese weaving, which became a necessity as fabric was scarce when the country closed its borders for 214 years, from 1639 to 1853.

“They couldn’t afford to waste anything,” Kerschbaumer said, “so their old garments were either repaired or cut into thin strips and weaved into new clothing.”

“It’s so relevant today as we find ways to upcycle and reduce waste,” she said.

Curated by fellow Place des Arts instructor Catherine Dumaine, a Port Coquitlam resident, the exhibit features about 60 scarves and shawls as well as basketry on stone, wall hangings and bolts of fabric.

The display in the Atrium Gallery ends Oct. 3.

Meanwhile, also opening Friday night are PhotoClub Vancouver’s annual members’ exhibition, in the Leonore Peyton Salon, and Synthesis, acrylic paintings by Sandra Yuen MacKay, in the Mezzanine Gallery.

The reception is from 7 to 9 p.m. at Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam).

Call 604-664-1636 or visit placedesarts.ca for information.