Bojagi - Korean Textile Art

Book excerpt: An exploration of traditional Koran textile art techniques. Bojagi, sometimes called Pojagi, is a traditional Korean textile art. Centuries old, it was originally textiles made for every day living with scraps of left-over fabrics artfully put together. They often resemble works of modern artists such as Mondrian and Klee. Today, the technique now produces beautiful textiles that are fast influencing textile art in the West, particularly amongst quilters. Using her own work and the work of other artists, leading expert on the subject Sara Cook demonstrates the techniques and how modern textilers can interpret the principles of Bojagi creatively in exciting new work. The book covers a brief history and understanding of Bojagi in Korean culture, then covers: Fabrics and sewing equipment (incl. silk, hemp and ramie); Obanseak – technique and designs of bojagi colours and symbolism; Colour Seams and Embellishments; and Jagokbo – textiles pieced from tiny scraps. A beautiful book that offers textile artists and quilters a range of ideas to use i their own work. As with the obsession with Shibori, this technique brings one of the East's most creative textiles to a Western audience for the first time.