Chiaki Dosho has loved making things since she was a young child. She discovered quilting and knew she wanted to learn more about art and design so she studied at an art university for three years. Now, she creates highly detailed fiber art upcycling Japanese fabrics.
How did you get started making fiber art? Why did you choose that medium?
I have loved making things with my hands since I was a child. My mother loved handicrafts. There were many materials in my house, such as cloth, yarn, and lace thread. Since I was little, I have been knitting, making doll clothes, and other things freely using the materials I was given. My mother never instructed me. I made things by measuring the size. However, the clothes I made for the dolls were always too small and I couldn’t fit them onto the dolls. I learned from my mistakes that dolls have a thick body.
When I was about 6 years old, my father gave me my grandfather’s old twin-lens reflex camera. It was in a leather case. My father taught me how to use a shutter. He handed me the camera with film in it. I turned some dials to press the shutter. The dials were buttons for exposure and shutter speed. Later, my father gave me some photos. The photos were beautiful and I became very interested in photography. I became interested in cameras in junior high school, and joined the photography club in high school. I learned how to develop and print from the older students in the club. There was a small darkroom in a corner of the science lab. The darkroom was almost always empty. I printed in the darkroom every day. That was the beginning of my relationship with photography.
About 20 years later, I discovered quilting. My youngest daughter started kindergarten. That was the trigger. I wanted to learn something. There were a few things I wanted to try. But the only place that suited me was a quilting school. It was the only patchwork school in Japan. As soon as I started learning quilting, I realized it was very profound. I was hooked. Three years after I started quilting, I became a teacher at the school at the recommendation of the principal. Two years later, I realized that my knowledge was lacking.
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I wanted to gain more knowledge of art.
I found out that Musashino Art University had a correspondence education system. I thought that I could study even if I had a job. I enrolled immediately. However, there was a lot to learn. At that time, my father was in the hospital due to poor health. My work was very busy. I didn’t have much time and my studies didn’t progress. I was worried. Summer classes started in July. That was the trigger for me to quit my job teaching at the patchwork school. It was two days before the summer classes at Musashino Art University started. My father passed away, as if to push me forward. I studied enthusiastically. It was the three years I studied the most in my life. I wanted to learn, so I made my own time and money, and when I returned to university, I was serious.
What are your particular preferences and ideas for using fabric?
I like many different types of fabrics. I don’t have any particular preference that “I will only use this one thing.”
I started out with cotton prints for American patchwork. Then I started using the fabrics I learned when I studied fashion.
Next, I started making works with a desert theme. Japanese fabrics have a damp feel to them and I felt they didn’t fit my image. I started looking for fabrics, and that’s when I came across Indian fabrics. Indian fabrics are often smooth and don’t cling to the skin, probably because they are used in hot regions. That was the perfect fit for the image of the desert.
Now I often use fabrics from old Japanese kimonos and obi. New kimonos are very expensive in Japan. Kimonos are rarely worn in daily life. Traditional fabrics and clothes are gradually disappearing all over the world in modern times. We are in an era where the whole world uses the same things. Japan has wonderful techniques for designing kimonos, dyeing, weaving, etc. I am concerned that they will disappear. Old kimonos are thrown away when elderly people pass away. I came up with the idea of using old kimonos to create my works. Since I started using those fabrics, I have become more conscious of being Japanese.
I don’t have any intention to create something that is particularly Japanese. I think it’s best to be natural. I hope that the many elements that have settled within me will be expressed in my work.
I have a few preferences when it comes to how I use fabric.
① I always wash old kimono fabric with water before using it. → Old fabric is not only dirty, but it also gets old and weak and frayed, so washing it can bring it back to life.
② I use adhesive batting. I stick it to a backing. → This is because the adhesive glue may discolor due to chemical changes. I always stick it to a backing to avoid any possible damage.
③ I almost never use adhesive interfacing. →Because to me, I think that fabric with blemishes and tears has a special meaning. To me, having one is the most wonderful treasure in the world.
That’s another reason why I don’t use it. Because I want to use fabric while it’s still soft. I want to make the most of the charm of the original material.
When was the first time that you remember realizing that you are a creative person?
I’ve loved making things since I was a child. I remember writing in my elementary school graduation album, “When I grow up, I want to be a movie director or a stage director.” I’ve loved clothes since I was a child. My mother was a very fashionable person. I still vividly remember the colors, designs, and materials of many of my favorite clothes. As I grew up, I wanted to become a fashion designer, so I studied fashion for three years. However, I became too absorbed in it and injured myself, so I couldn’t attend the last month.
When I think back, my favorite things are all creative things, such as writing books, thinking about clothing designs, making movies, taking photos as art, and making art books. I’ve never been conscious of that before.
Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
Other artists or their works, natural scenery/environment/grass and trees/flowers, books I read, plays, movies, etc. Everything around me is my source of inspiration. I input some of the things that resonate with me into myself and develop from there.
Do you do series work? How does that affect your approach?
I don’t consciously try to create a series of works. When I created one work, the series naturally emerged as the next step. Before I knew it, it had become a series. When I pursue one theme, the image inevitably changes little by little. I want to change it. That’s because I don’t like the same thing. I search deeply for what I want to express. Then, a series is inevitably born.
I think it’s a very natural thing for me.
When it comes to creating, are you more of a planner or an improviser?
I love fabrics. The variety of materials is endless.
Patchwork quilt fabrics, interior fabrics, clothing fabrics, Indian fabrics, canvas, old Japanese kimonos, wool, thread, paper, carpet thread, industrial scraps, office paper, art supplies, etc. Other materials include window sash mesh, dried flowers, paints, Japanese ink, beeswax, plastic, metal parts, etc. All of them are my materials. I don’t decide what or which to use. My head spins around according to the image I have at the time. Then, suddenly, the thing I want to use jumps out from the many materials. It’s as if it’s saying, “Use me!”
When I have an idea, I go around looking at DIY, craft supplies, gardening supplies, etc. I value accidental inspiration very much. For that reason, my works often have an improvisational element. I often end up with something that is far from my initial image or design plan. I love that coincidence very much. I have almost never been able to make something exactly as I had in mind. On the other hand, I always think that works that are made exactly as planned are very boring.
I enjoy change every day. I value coincidence very much. I don’t correct things when I think I have failed. That’s because I think that when you think you have failed, it is actually an opportunity. Failure is a gift from chance. How do I change it and make it convincing to myself? That is my challenge.
I worry about it, but at the same time, I enjoy it. I almost never undo or redo something after sewing with a sewing machine. Even when I paint or ink it at the end, it’s a one-shot deal. Sometimes I think I’ve made a big mistake. But I move on, knowing that that’s just who I was at that time. This may be the same as how I live my life.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
This is a big problem for me. I live in Japan. My house is not big. My working space is the living room. I use a wide variety of materials, and most of my house is filled with them. I want a large studio. However, a small working space does not hinder my imagination. All I need is an image in my head. Images are always free, no matter where or when. For me, anytime and anywhere is a studio, a world of fantasy, and a source of inspiration.
I always listen to music while I work. The music I choose is also varied. My mind sometimes transcends place and time. It’s a lot of fun.
Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?
I like writing. But I haven’t been keeping a diary lately.
Instead, I write all sorts of things in my sketchbook.
Image designs, drawings, descriptions, words that resonate with me, rough sketches that come to mind, and so on. Sometimes I also paste in photos I’ve taken. I write down random things that I want to keep as memos.
I don’t use my sketchbook every day, but you could say it’s a diary.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
Previously, I had a solo exhibition once every two years and two or three exhibitions a year with invitations.
My way of thinking has changed over the past few years. Now, the method of exhibitions, the number of exhibitions, and my involvement have changed significantly.
Previously, my solo exhibitions were in the form of deciding on a theme, creating works to fit the theme, and exhibiting them on the wall. That has changed little by little. I like to exhibit my exhibitions as installations. For the past few years, I have been presenting my works as installations.
In 2023, I added a new experiment to my installation for the first time.
I exhibited anthurium flowers made of fabric as an installation on the theme of life and death. I added a mirror to it. I created a video work in a crossover with that work and layered it on top. I began a new experiment with an installation that expresses these two things.
I want to keep evolving. Images are an extension of my photography experience. My love of using various fabrics freely and being attracted to them is connected to fashion. I learned ballet from an early age. My parents often took me to the cinema to watch foreign films when I was a child. My father also took me to plays. The world unfolding on the stage taught me the fun and excitement of stories. This is the basis for my work. When I think of a work, I always create a story in my head. Sometimes it is a fantasy or a mystery. Experiences from my childhood accumulate, mature, and ferment within me. It is an element of me, even though I am not conscious of it.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
The first inspiration is either the theme of a contest or an exhibition, or a completely free theme of my own. That’s the start. I think about what kind of image I want to create with that theme. The colors, the technique, where it will be exhibited, what kind of exhibition it will be.
I often get ideas in the bathtub. I think it’s relaxing. I first draw the design I have in my sketchbook with just simple pencil lines. Then I add words and ideas such as theme, title, technique, etc. I wait a long time before moving on to the next stage. I think about it and make changes during that time. Next, I start drawing the actual design. For many of my works, the shape of the backing and batting is important. I draw the shape and size on graph paper. I draw the shape of the work directly on the batting. I iron the adhesive batting onto the backing. I draw the rough design drawn in my sketchbook directly on the batting. For most techniques, I place the cut fabric on top and sew with a sewing machine. The way the fabric is placed and sewn varies depending on the technique.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
I like starting from scratch the most. I get excited when I think about what I’m going to make. But I often struggle to come up with an idea. Then when a good idea pops into my head, I feel very happy and relieved. I enjoy cutting the batting and starting to draw the design on it the most. I don’t find it too difficult. I always enjoy making things.
Where can people see your work?
Most of the works that are selected for the contest have a two-year traveling exhibition in the host country.
Many of the works can be seen there. The contests I mainly participate in are in the United States, France and Italy. Other countries include the Netherlands, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea, but on an irregular basis.
Currently, I do not open my home as a studio. I mainly use Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chiakidoshoart/ and Instagram for chiakidosho. A new website is currently being planned. Older ones can be seen at chiakidhoart.com.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
I am interested in many things. And I have many images of works.
I have many ideas. I have so many images that I could live my life three times. How many of them will take shape in my lifetime?
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
1) One artist who is older than me was very enthusiastic about creating every day. She worked during the day or at night, depending on her schedule and her physical condition, and sometimes even worked until the morning.
I was amazed at her energy, as she continued to create one piece after another, so I asked her.
“Why do you continue to create so much?”
She answered simply:
“Passion!”
2) As I get older, I start to think, “How much more can I create while I’m alive?” How long will my body last? My thoughts gradually become negative. When I talked to an artist about this, these two words struck me.
“If you can’t do something, just do it until you can. Why don’t you do it?”
“You can continue to create as an active artist until your last day.”
These three words from the two of them became very important to me. For me, it’s not a question of how many more works I can create. It’s not that the number of things I can’t do increases as I get older. Before thinking about how long I can do it, I now think, “It’s about continuing as long as I can.”
Interview with Chiaki Dosho posted September 2024
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