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U.S. PREMIERE

Rather than fan the flames of global climate change, let’s all cool off our hot-headed ways with a breezy salute to this world we share.

This installation from Reiko Sudo and her world-renowned Tokyo textile design studio Nuno features oversized folding fans surfaced with dynamic fabrics in a gradation of hues historically associated with aizome indigo dyeing. Also known as “Japan Blue,” indigo has been produced in Japan since the 8th century, most often by fermenting polygonum leaves with wheat bran, sake, hardwood ash and lime. Colors range from pale sky to outer space midnight tones, whose painstaking production can require as many as 40 dye baths.

Symbols of “widespread” good fortune, ogi fans are a 10th-century Japanese invention now indelibly associated with kimono attire as well as with traditional performing arts such as Noh, Kabuki and classical Nihon buyo dance, not to mention folk festivals. And yes, sports fans also take ogi with them to their stadium seats when watching a baseball or soccer match. 

At Nuno, natural indigo is seldom used due to limited availability, a tendency to fade and the tremendous amount of spring water required to fix the pigment—which runs counter to the company’s ethos of environmental responsibility—though many of the fabrics included here are made from natural fibers, ramie, silk, cotton, and wool. But even the polyesters, nylons, and various synthetics were all produced in Japan at regional textile centers specializing in artisanal weaving, chusen stenciled rice paste resist-dyeing, embroidery, and other masterful techniques.

As resident fans of our one-and-only blue planet Earth, let’s all give a friendly wave of support for environmentally conscious design.