Kuopio Academy of Design: AiR
2023
Woven Textile Design
Continuing developing projects combining natural dyeing and weaving, I went on mushroom picking, experienced this traditional Finnish culture, and did the first fungus dyeing this time.
︎ See my story during the residency in Kuopio Academy of Design’s Instagram
Based on my experience during my last residency with Joya, I sort of knew how much I could accomplish during one week and had a rather relaxed mood for this journey. Finland is not unfamiliar to me since I studied for my Master’s degree in Espoo and enjoyed the calmness of this place. However, it still felt strange to visit here again after I left this country for almost one year. This was the first time I viewed this land as a total tourist (?), and got to experience things I’d never done before in Kuopio compared to my time as a student.
Though perfectly missed the peak tourist season,
I still got to climb up to the Puijo tower and see the fluffy forest view;
went to several museums, got inspired by the art and interior, and paid respect to the passed-away local artist in the cemetery;
enjoyed the juicy sausage and experienced the damped socks with my feet after mushroom picking.
Immersing myself in the Kuopio autumn with the color experimentation on fungus, lichen, and the rusty metal found in the attic,
I took a few walks and documented the light and shadow with my eyes around the city;
touched the first snow and woven the fabric with the warmest colors while random Finnish pop songs played in the background through the radio in the studio.
This stay was an experience involving art, craft, food, culture, and more.
(Many thanks to the people who hosted and helped me throughout the residency, you are all just as warm as the color I got from the Finnish forest)
Note
The dye bath was made from random mushrooms (just picked up whatever seemed like the amount was going to be enough for extraction ) and lichen that I collected from the forest. No mordant was added but I tested the pH value roughly by adding baking soda/vinegar in the process; vinegar tends to bring the color lighter, while soda does the opposite.
Phototgrapher: Tung Shiau