Katagami in Practice

Dance artist wearing an paper costume using origami techniques with a stencil pattern
Paper costume with origami sleeves on a mannequin within an exhibition space
Detail of a laser cut and painted Japanese katagami pattern of a paper costume
Printed blue stencil on paper and laser cut pattern of a Japanese katagami design

Katagami in Practice Japanese Stencils in the Art School  was a major research project on Japanese stencils from the Silver Studio Collection led by the  Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture. MoDA’s Designated Silver Studio Collection includes four hundred Japanese katagami, traditional resist-printing stencils for textiles. The project focused on katagami as a source of inspiration for artists and designers, both historically and today involving research that combined an historical perspective with a practice-based approach.  

Inspired by Japanese paper stencils used within traditional textile printing of kimonos, Caroline’s costume and film Waves draws on the rich textile culture of Japan and the traditional art of origami. The design-led filmed performance with movement artist Masumi Saito featured a costume made from Japanese paper that incorporated laser cut and printed katagami motifs from the Silver Studio collection along with origami textiles. The title of the piece was suggested by the water and wave inspired patterns that are a common motif within the katagami stencils.

Image credits

KATAGAMI IN PRACTICE — JAPANESE STENCILS IN THE ART SCHOOL PROJECT, 2019, Cabinet of Curiosity Studio (Caroline Collinge), Research and Exhibition

Photos: MoDA and Cabinet of Curiosity Studio

Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture (MoDA), UK
Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture (MoDA) and Asia House, London, UK
October 2016 – April 2018