Four UK-based artists, obsessed with the dazzling, painterly quality of Meisen kimono fabric designs, travel to Japan to work with the last of the craftspeople producing these stunning fabrics. Through collaboration, the artists will create new textiles combining their designs with Japanese know-how. The project will be documented on film by The Derek Jarman Lab (part of Birkbeck, University of London) in collaboration with the film production company, Light Matter Productions Limited.

The film will be one of the research outcomes of a multidisciplinary research project led by Birkbeck, University of London (Dr Bartek Dziadosz, Professor Akane Kawakami) aiming to examine the history of Meisen kimonos as a case study, allowing us to explore questions concerning the evolution of craftsmanship practices in the context of the socio-economic pressures experienced by designers and craftspeople in the 21^st century.

The artists will develop a limited-edition collection of garments that engages with the historical exchange between European Modernism and Japanese textile artisanship. Every phase of the physical craft—designing patterns, formulating dyes, and collaborating with master weavers—will be rigorously recorded to forge a transparent model of sustainable production. This methodology will be actively informed by multidisciplinary analysis, integrating the insights of cultural historians and economists.

The project is supported by grants by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and London Higher.