Natsuki Hanyu – DOROTHY WAXMAN PRIZE winner

*Featured image: 3 Heads. Copyright Natsuki Hanyu 

With the RE-ANIMATE / KAMI project Natsuki Hanyu is the winner of the sixth edition of the Dorothy Waxman International Textile Design Prize. The prize is awarded to an ongoing or just graduated student in textile or fashion subjects with innovative creativity and a sustainable approach to the sector. The award is included in the TALKING TEXTILES initiatives of Edelkoort and Fimmano for the promotion of educational and creative activities in the textile sector.

Overview. Copyright Natsuki Hanyu

“The word ‘sustainability’ – writes the artist – became cheap and a thoughtless trend. Many people still think of human beings and nature separately and try to control the natural world. However, we are one of species on the earth in the first place, and our bodies will eventually return to the ground. In this way, we must not forget that we are part of the natural world, and we must respect other species. Japanese people used to believe that spirits exist everywhere in even non-human entities like trees, insects, objects, natural phenomena…they showed their respects to other things.

Animistic ideas were deeply rooted within their way of thinking. However, people in the current generation do not believe this, but I want to Re-animate these thoughts and share it through my performance-textiles by using white KIMI (paper) which is believed to have the power of purification. The performance which has a hint of a ritual dance called Henbai was delivered by three Spirits in an urban area. These spiritual creatures purify the ground with this historical dance and try to plant a seed for the Animistic idea. I hope this project makes people realise we are part of the natural world. Despite emerging from Japan, the Textile Monster is a shape-shifter that moves through different cultural contexts and environments seeking common traditions of spiritual connection to the natural world.”

Copyright Natsuki Hanyu

Natsuki Hanyu is a textile creator based in London and Tokyo. She is a storyteller sharing a sense of value through a spiritual atmosphere without relying on language.

She has studied Textiles Mixed Media at the Royal College of Art and previously Fashion at Joshibi University in Japan. Her interest in the body since the fashion studies remains unchanged and therefore all her spiritual works are made for a body. Body-movements animate her textiles and her poetic textile has the power to redefine the beauty of the body. These ambiguous full-body costumes are designed to resonate with the movement of the wearer, and through performance she explores the interactive relationship between body, movement and environment.