Ruptash, Susan (CAN)
Shift
Susan Ruptash is a Toronto washi artist who works in a variety of paper arts including explorations of handmade heritage washi, printmaking and bookmaking, building on a lifelong fascination with the properties and possibilities of paper.
Her career as an architect has informed her explorations of structure, form, materiality and process.
“Working primarily with heritage washi, I apply minimal interventions to form a new expression for each sheet of washi. I want to draw attention to the translucency, gorgeous fibre structure, subtle colours, surface textures, as well as the hidden qualities of strength and the subtle differences caused by the choice of fibre, drying method, even the quality of the water used in the process.” Artist Statement from website.
Shift is a garment intended to reveal the inner strength of the wearer. It is constructed of Oguni Snowbleached heritage washi – a material steeped in history and possessing qualities of strength, translucency and gorgeous fibre structure. The locally grown kozo fibres are bleached using the traditional yukizarashi technique by laying the fibres in snow. The garment is embellished with kami-ito thread handspun from washi and paper cord.
The washi has been treated with konnyaku (a starch created from the root of the VooDoo Lily) and kakishibu (a tannin create from fermented, unripe persimmons). The colours of the garment will shift over time – the kakishibu will darken and the natural washi will lighten.
The size and length of garment was directed by size of the washi – entire sheets of the washi were used wherever possible. The garment is straight cut and loose fitting to be flattering and empowering for a wide range of people. The construction is simple in order to shift the focus away from the design and towards the history and quality of the material.
Shift contains embedded memories of the stories of the people who made the washi, the natural materials and the forces of snow, sun, water and time.
materials
Oguni Snowbleached heritage washi, treated with kakishibu and konnyaku.
Kami-ito thread hand-spun from washi Paper cord.
See the Work on Film
Photos Credit: Grant Wells Photo