L-AIR Residency, Japan
2025
Isshin Dōtai was developed during the L-AIR 2025 Artist Residency in Takagi, Japan
A region historically known for traditional leather craftsmanship. Immersed in the world of Japanese leather making and the cultural history surrounding it, the residency became both a personal confrontation and a deep material investigation. Coming from a background in sustainable fashion and having never worked with animal leather before, I began to understand leather not only as a material, but as a carrier of history, labor, and transformation through conversations with local artisans, visits to family-run tanneries, and hands-on experimentation.
Deep unity of shared essence with equal value
The residency laid the foundation for Isshin Dōtai a body of work exploring the equal importance of every stage within the creative process. From the animal that provides the leather, to the artisan who crafts it, to the artist who reshapes it, and finally to the viewer who engages with it, each layer holds the same hierarchical value. Inspired by Japanese Kura forms, Dutch and Japanese saddlery, and the historical Kinkarakawa technique exchanged between Japan and the Netherlands during the Edo period, I developed sculptural garments, embossed surfaces, collages, and self-developed print techniques using leftover Japanese leather. 2D pattern shapes and research materials were transformed into final wearable forms, dissolving the hierarchy between process and outcome.
A Continuing Conversation
Travel and cultural exchange have always shaped my practice. Growing up in the Netherlands while moving between interests in marine biology, fashion, and art, I became deeply fascinated by the relationship between humans, materials, and systems of value. Witnessing both the beauty of traditional craftsmanship and the challenges faced by Takagi’s declining leather industry reinforced my desire to remind the world of what has already been here for a long time, preserving generational knowledge, rethinking waste through existing materials, and learning from the people who have cared for these crafts for generations. Transforming months of research into a final expression, the residency became a convergence of experimentation, craft, and personal growth, contributing to a broader dialogue on sustainability, material consciousness, and the future of leather.