Creative Space: Shibori

I have another creative space to share with you and this one is owned by the creative duo Karen Davis and Pepa Martin of Shibori who create beautiful textiles and materials using their interpretation of the traditional shibori technique. They have both been busy working on various projects and collaborations, managing their online shop and more recently they have released a new book titled Shibori Recreated: The Book.

Their creative space was photographed for ish and chi and I asked Karen and Pepa a few questions:

How did you get started with Shibori and what do you love most about what you do?

Shibori began with our love of dyeing and the hand made. We both found Shibori came naturally to us. It was not forced and we have always loved experimenting and learning new techniques and the possibilities are endless. 

Tell us a little about your dyeing process and where you find inspiration for your work.

We like to take Shibori binding techniques and simplify them. Often we will experiment with a new technique and do it as textbook as possible. Then we look at ways we can modify it to fit with our contemporary style. We like to experiment with different textures and fabrics such as leather, hessian and hemp. We have adapted techniques for these different fabrics. Inspiration can be found all around, nature provides more inspiration then anyone could ask for. 

What is one of your proudest achievements?

Most definitely the release of our book “Shibori Recreated” which looks at other artists and designers who are also recreating this ancient Japanese art form. Putting together the book was by far the largest and most rewarding project we have ever worked on. It united us with a community of Shibori artists from all over the world and as a result we have a beautiful visual diary of all their work to share with everyone.
Thank you Karen and Pepa for sharing your space and work with us (and your dog is adorable!!) and also to Emily Sephton for the beautiful photographs. 

♥ Visit Shibori and you can buy a copy of their book "Shibori Recreated" available in their online shop

♥ Photography by Emily Sephton

PS. If you have a creative space you would like to share, please contact me. I would love to hear from you.