Portfolio Vol 4: Chika Ohgi (Japan) Keiko Kawashima, foreword by Laurel Reuter Published by Telos Arts Bilingual edition, Japanese and English. 38 colour photos, 7 b&w photos; 22cm x 22cm, 48 pages "The beauty of the book's design is rooted in simplicity, which would please the artist" Embroidery Chika Ohgi creates three-dimensional installations from silk threads and paper that she makes herself. A crucial aspect of her work is the relation between the objects she has constructed, the space they occupy and the physical presence of the viewer. The indistinct edges of her paper structures, the continually shifting perspective of the viewer, the effect of flows of air created by the wind or by movement are all fundamental elements to experiencing her work. "The gaps between the objects and the external space (and) the outlines of the objects (are) the borders between existence and non-existence." Chika Ohgi uses traditional and non-traditional Japanese papermaking techniques with threads as a construction element to create contemporary three-dimensional artworks. Her work often takes the form of an installation, for, as her statement above suggests, the significance of her constructions lie in their dramatic encounter with the space, which they come to inhabit. Both elements take on equal value, space and work becoming valued as an integrated whole. Such an effect is heightened by the use of hand-made paper that the artist makes herself. Other materials used include bamboo, kozo, cypress wood, Japanese paper, water, silver leaf, pulp, ganpi, algae paper, sunlight and mirror, silk thread. The Textile Directory Bookstore postal charges: UK 1 book = £2.50 2 books = £4.50 3 books = £7.00 4 books or more = £9.00 Overseas 1 book = £6.00 2 books = £10.00 3 books = £14.00 4 books or more = £18.00 Price: £9.95