THE KATAGAMI PROJECT

Installation at the Textile Museum St. Gallen
,Cherry Blossom & Edelweiss – The Import of the Exotic’ Exhibition
with Prof. Dieter Geissbühler & Prof. Hansjürg Buchmeier

Client: Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Location: Textile Museum St. Gallen, Switzerland, and further locations (incl. Tokyo)
Date: 2014 – 2015

Reminiscent of Japanese shoji partitions, the wall installation was conceived of and realized as a dialogue between textile and architecture. This layered overlapping assembly acts as a glowing object, impacting the entire museum lobby while subtly introducing the content of the exhibition ,Cherry Blossom & Edelweiss – The Import of the Exotic.

The St. Gallen Textile Museum’s large collection of Japanese Katagami stencils used for textile printing served as the inspiration to question the notions of texture and ornament in architecture. With the rise of digital fabrication techniques, the ornamentation of architectural elements gains an entirely new significance. The question of the use of autonomous patterns in the design of construction elements has long since been a central discussion within the HSLU’s Schools of Engineering & Architecture and Art & Design. The history of architecture is full of precedents, showing how non-architectural elements have been used in the creation of ceramics, wallpaper and custom masonry designs.

In this sense, the installation encourages reflection on contemporary design trends and their relation between cultures and epochs, while simultaneously fostering speculation on potential future developments beyond such boundaries.

Project Partners:
– Initiators: Prof. Dieter Geissbühler, Prof. Hansjürg Buchmeier
– Implementation: Textile Museum St. Gallen
– Research Partner: HSLU School of Engineering & Architecture: Research Group for Materials, Structure, and Energy in Architecture; HSLU School of Art & Design: Product & Textile Research Group

Photographs:
© HSLU