I Lost My EyeBall




  we do not know we are separate from everything around us


play with “parts” .  play with “parts” .  play with “parts”





This book was produced during a one-month residency at the Marushin Embroidery Factory in Japan. I was hosted by the owner of the factory, Mr. and Mrs. Sakuma and stayed in their welcoming home in Kiryu. I don’t think I have been treated so well in my life! Textile artist, author and historian, Keiko Kobayashi link 1, link 2 organized most aspects of this extraordinary adventure, which included a personalized tour with the Textile Institute of Japan. We visited eight factories, which produced works for the MOMA exhibition of Contemporary Japanese Textiles.  In addition to this Ms. Kobayashi arranged visits with textile artists such as Rieko Sudo (founder of Nuno Textiles) and Junichi Arai as well as many other artisans creating phenomenal works using traditional Japanese textile processes.The lived experience of going to the smallish embroidery factory each day was fantastic. The people who worked their were generous in their kindness and willingness to share and communicate.  My only regret was that I did not speak the language.


For this project I wanted to create a book where the participant could play with “parts”.  I have often been interested in “parts” more than “wholes”.  In thinking about the body and childhood and self-discovery I thought this design offered the possibility to speak to our own discovery of our corporeal selves and offer room for play and humour.  Apparently up until a certain age we do not know we are separate from everything around us. I think I always want to return to this state.  The book was designed for children but the compliment from Reiko Sudo was that it was conceptually engaging and suited to a range of peoples!









Mark