Sharing rose bud tea across continents

Teruyoshi Yoshida’s installation, Surface of the Lake , is aptly named. Shimmering, just above the gallery floor, it is reminiscent of the play of light on water and beautifully captures the idea of the transient moment. In his work, Yoshida draws directly from his deep commitment and understanding of Japanese culture and ritual. This work was over 20 years old when it arrived at Fabrica and had been installed many times, mainly in sacred spaces. The surface of the work had the look of, what Yoshida describes as, ‘KIRE’ – fabric which has taken on the patina of time and experience. Sited in the decayed interior of Fabrica, it provided both context and starting point for two new commissions by Claire Barber and composer Edward Dudley Hughes; and the setting for Pendle Poucher, sound artist-composer in residence.

Prior to the exhibition, Claire Barber had recently returned from a research trip to Japan during which time she worked with Teruyoshi Yoshida. Her assemblage of dust, crockery and textile fragments, articulates her thoughts about ‘home’, ‘separation’ and ‘travel’ over the years preceding the exhibition at Fabrica.

During May 2004, cross-artform commissioning was put under the spotlight as new music was profiled alongside the works of Barber and Yoshida. For the first time, Edward Dudley Hughes made a site-specific composition for performance, in response to the exhibition.

Digital sound artist-composer, Pendle Poucher was artist-in-residence during the exhibition. He works with found and recorded environmental sound, which he digitally manipulates to create evocative music. During his residency Pendle presented four live audio/visual interactions at Fabrica, which, being improvisatory in nature, were fed by material gathered from visitors, staff, and the gallery itself.

Through the Surface was curated by Lesley Millar, Surrey Institute of Art & Design University College. It built on the success of the touring exhibition Textural Space, which introduced Britain to the exquisite work of 12 Japanese textile artists in 2001.

Fabrica was one of three galleries in the South East, hosting the Through the Surface exhibitions, which were the outcome of a unique cultural exchange and mentoring project between textile practitioners in Britain and Japan. Work by all 14 artists had already been shown at James Hockey Gallery, Farnham or Hove Museum & Art Gallery and toured to other UK venues later in 2004. In 2005 the exhibition travelled to Japan.

Through the Surface explored points of difference and similarity within two cultures through the exchange of ideas and techniques and how this can impact on future practice.

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