16 May Paper Thread Sculptural Basketry with Aimee Lee
Header: Bluehead and medium dahlia ducks (2015). Corded and twined hanji, indigo and dahlia dye. Private collections.
Hanji is the ancient Korean art of handmade paper. While in Korea studying under papermaker Jang Seong-woo, Lee also learned about the art of jiseung, the Korean art of paper weaving (which will be a focus of her June class). While studying abroad, not only did she learn endangered techniques of Korean papermaking, but she also learned related arts like weaving and fusing paper (jiseung and joomchi), natural dyes, and calligraphy. Lee will bring her experiences with paper cultures to life through stories and her priceless collection of paper objects.
Aimee Lee in the Studio
Hanji Unfurled: One Journey into Korean Papermaking
Watch a short movie and get to know artist & instructor Aimee Lee
Miniature family (2012). Hanji, bark. 0.75—1.75″ high. Private collection.
Vacancy study (2014). Pomegranate dye and konjac on hanji, hosta paper. 23.5 x 18.5″.
Teapot (2014). Lacquer on hanji. 7.25″ tall, 7″ across spout, 3″ base diameter.
Basket candy (2011). Dye on hanji. 1.5 x 1.5 x 2”. Private collections.
Paper Weaving Video by Aimee Lee
From Artist Statement
Most of my work is rooted in hanji (Korean paper) and its traditions. I especially love jiseung, a method of cording strips of paper to twine like baskets, practiced hundreds of years ago to reuse scraps of precious paper. I am drawn to stories of repurposed paper, where civil service examinations, birth certificates, and genealogy records were transformed into household vessels, secret messages, shoes, and symbolic gifts. I alter these forms by changing proportions, groupings, and surface design to see how older technologies and stories inform contemporary versions. These pieces challenge assumptions about paper’s strength and its capacity to be both itself and something still to be imagined.
Paper Thread through Asia
June 9–15, 2019
*NOTE: Instructor has changed from Donna Sakamoto Crispin to Aimee Lee. Class description has also changed from what was printed in our catalog.
Discover ancient techniques of transforming paper into thread, cord, small weavings, and sculptural basketry. Based on Korean and Japanese traditions of jiseung (paper basketry) and shifu (paper cloth), you will learn to spin one-ply thread and twist two-ply cord in completely different ways. The instructor will bring these paper cultures to life through stories and her priceless collection of paper objects. All levels are welcome, but be prepared for intensive handwork in this process-centered class.
To learn more about her work, visit Aimee’s website.
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