Slide presentation

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Slide presentation general


Braids in history


New trends


Kumihimo groups


Engineering application



Each presentation comprises 15-minute talk and 5-minute discussion using PowerPoint or equivalent slide-show software.

Equipment

A PC with a Windows XP/Vista and a Macintosh OS X are available.
Number of pixel of the projector in the Center Hall is 1024 x 768 (XGA)

Media of your PowerPoint file

¥USB flash memory (recommended)
¥CD-R
¥Transfer via Internet using e-mail (less than 2MB), free file transfer service (less than 100 MB) (recommended).


No other media is acceptable.

New trends

Chairperson: Michael Hattori

New Takadai Braids

Jennie Parry

9:45-10:05

During this presentation I would like to share my joy in the beauty & potential of takadai braids & my approach to making them. The versatility of the takadai offers great scope for innovative structures. I am able to express my original thoughts & energy in the highly personal interaction & satisfying working rhythms of the whole process.
By exploiting my growing knowledge of yarn properties & using different combinations of fibres, I am able to make unorthodox 3D structures that will retain their form, regular or distorted, when complete. I combine stiff & supple, high & low twist, fragile & strong, shiny & matt, within plain & twill structures, often with an even number of bobbins. I usually prefer to have multiple strands of fine silks within the braids rather than to work with heavier gauge silks. "What happens if I?" is often uppermost in my mind as I work. Essentially my method is to sample almost excessively, then to make several prototypes, labelling & keeping careful records throughout. The purity, apparent simplicity & sheer perfection of traditional kumihimo are a huge influence. I strive to come near to achieving these qualities..
Hybrids, Experiments and Strange Connections

Helen Vonow

10:05-10:25

I will talk about some ideas and techniques that I have explored, with results and methods illustrated.
Firstly braids within braids ~ with colour or texture contrasts emerging from and returning to a core, or peeking through gaps in the outer braid.
Secondly taking a rather sculptural approach by looking at objects (specifically plants and flowers) and using braiding to produce a representation of their structure. This has involved combining a number of types of braids, and using both the kumi disc and plate to produce separate elements.
And thirdly applying braiding structures to a separate craft discipline, where I have combined felt-making with oblique interlacing. I have found unexpected synergies in the combination, which informs both my felting and braiding. The result (so far) is scarves which combine light and soft yet strong, and open but warm.
I hope that some of these ideas will stimulate thoughts and discussions about we might approach our practice 'from a different direction'.
Wide Scarf Production on a Takadai

Richard Sutherland

10:25-10:45

Although large takadai are uncommon outside of Japan, some Westerners who have acquired (or made) them have taken advantage of the size to produce scarves - a wearable product that has much greater use in Western societies than the narrow ware braided for the Japanese market.
A way of adapting the large takadai and a method of working to produce wide wool-blend scarves will be discussed.Ê While traditional takadai methods allow for repetitive patterns, adopting linking techniques, such as required for the "Itsukushima" braid, allow for more random patterning. End finishing, fringes, etc. will also be described.
The method of producing wide fabric on a small takadai - by creating double braids leaving one side "open" has not been widely investigated in the U.S. As more takadai become available, this method will undoubtedly be adopted.
Making an Andean Braid Using the Tada Method

None Redmond

10:45-11:05

The Tada method of designing and constructing an Andean braid will be described. The way a design is drawn on the Andean Braid graph paper will be briefly described and then from a design so made the method of fabricating the braid will be shown. Using this method these beautiful braids can be made on a small takadai using up to over a hundred tama and more if the takadai arms are long enough. A braid that has been designed and made will be shown as well as slides demonstrating the actual position of the tou before and after the tama are thrown across the web.