Inspi(red)*
Wednesday, June 27th, 2007Now that we’re pretty much exactly halfway through 2007 now, tell me, what’s the most inspiring thing you’ve seen or experienced in the past six months?
Maybe it’s because today is [my loom's one-year anniversary](http://blog.sweetgeorgiayarns.com/2006/06/spring-has-sprung/), I’m feeling all sentimental and wondering what I’ve been doing all year and what I’ll be doing on this day next year. Between now and next June, I’ll be attending a month of lectures and workshops at Maiwa’s symposium. So far, I’ve registered for Michelle Wipplinger’s [Colour Institute II](http://www.maiwa.com/symposium/w_colour_institute_2.html), [Dabu Mud Printing](http://www.maiwa.com/symposium/w_dabu_mud_printing.html), [Ajrakh Blockprinting](http://www.maiwa.com/symposium/w_ajrakh_blockprinting.html) (including the [masterclass](http://www.maiwa.com/symposium/w_blockprinting_masterclass.html)) and [the Working Traveller](http://www.maiwa.com/symposium/w_working_traveller.html). I wonder if Charllotte will let me just pay rent and live at [Maiwa East](http://www.maiwa.com/stores/maiwa_east.html) for the month of October… the place is already furnished.
Charllotte is also looking at arranging a Maiwa trip to India in February 2008 and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to participate in that. They’ll be travelling to a number of different villages where the dyeing and textiles are made for Maiwa. I’m not sure how long the trip is for, but if it’s only a couple weeks, I may choose to stay a few weeks longer on my own. Who knows.
Also, I’ve been looking at the [Kawashima Textile School](http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~kts/index2.htm) in Kyoto and possibly spending some time there weaving, dyeing and studying. This is the same school that [Chisako Hisamatsu](http://www.silkweavingstudio.com/Chisako/Chisako.htm) attended to get a more in-depth education in Kasuri (an ikat technique). You could live, weave, eat, sleep, and dye there for anywhere from a few days to a few years. Dreamy. Possible? Impossible? Who knows.
Where else can I go? Indonesia? Thailand? Sweden? Denmark? Hmm… My desire to live someplace warmer (seriously, I’m sitting next to my heater and it’s nearly JULY) has me thinking about the [textile/fashion program at CCAC](http://www.cca.edu/academics/textiles/) in California too (although San Francisco is not much warmer than Vancouver, bleh). Hmm…
My time in London was WAY too short and I’ll have to find my way back somehow. I didn’t, unfortunately, get to meet up with Amelia and her friends and would love to do that next time. There was a knitting exhibition at South Wimbledon that I missed because I was running around quite a bit (even though I was at Wimbledon for a couple days, grr) and *of course* the one day I picked to visit the V&A is the one day the textiles room was closed. What _did_ I see…
The ["New York Fashion Now"](http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/new_york/index.html) exhibition at the V&A. The [DOBAG rug](http://www.returntotradition.com/html/dobag_project.html) woven for the British Museum. Some of [Preeti Gilani's](http://www.gilani.com/index.html) textile work… hand-dyed silk and Jacquard weaving. The [room full of massive](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/06/barothko06.xml&sSheet=/arts/2006/05/06/ixtop.html) [Mark Rothko paintings at the Tate Modern](http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/CollectionDisplays?roomid=3543) (I went to see this TWICE, I loved it so much). [Helio Oiticica's Body of Colour](http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/heliooiticica/) exhibition at the Tate Modern as well. And something I _wish_ I had seen for real:
[Ptolemy Mann](http://www.ptolemymann.com/) completely floors me. [I'm absolutely in love with her work.](http://www.ptolemymann.com/pdf/2007/VOGUE.jpg) What are you absolutely in love with these days? What inspires you now?
*Okay, never thought I’d name a post after a GAP product, but hey, it’s all good. One of the only things I bought in London was a [product Red t-shirt](http://www.joinred.com/products/gap/)… african cotton made in Lesotho. It would make Jen proud.*
