These are images from the HEART project I created as an artist in residence in Kamiyama, Japan.

It is a stand-alone animation and a limited edition– 15 numbered and signed copies– digitally printed artist’s flip book.

The images I created for the project are made using traditional Japanese indigo dying techniques.

I dyed square pieces of white cotton fabric using natural indigo dye and wood blocks in symmetrical star patterns at Maeno Ryoji sensei’s studio in Kamiyama. The dying process took several days.

First I blocked out areas of the white fabric using wood, clamps and thread.

Then I dipped the fabrics in natural indigo for precise amounts of time measured with a special clock, and cured them by exposing them to air. This process was repeated many times to achieve deep blue shades and a richness of in-between hues.

This is the vat of indigo dye I used. Maeno sensei gave sake to the indigo to encourage it to cooperate on the days I came to do dying. Apparently the indigo only likes good sake, cheap cooking sake won’t do.

After many dips and cures I rinsed out the excess indigo, took off the clamps and threads

and unfolded the pattern. This is Maeno sensei looking on. Some of the fabrics went through the process several times to achieve richer patterns, with days of drying and resting the indigo in-between.

I used the original star patterns I created, then folded the fabric and generated a great number of kaleidoscopic patterns which I used to make the animation and the artist’s book HEART.

The soundtrack of the animation is a combination of nature sounds I recorded in Kamiyama including crickets, birds and laughing cicadas and of people reciting the Heart Sutra, a buddhist chant pilgrims utter when they reach their destination.

Kamiyama is on the 88 shrine pilgrim route and people trekking to holy destinations is a very important part of the local culture, strongly defining the spirit of the place. Locals helping pilgrims, contributing to them reaching their destination with food, shelter, even money is deeply ingrained in the social fabric of Kamiyama, it is a metaphor that extends beyond helping religious travelers in a traditional sense. It includes helping the one that passes through, being kind to the stranger; it kindles compassion which permeates every social interaction.

The animation is a long, slow loop of patterns of a timeless geometry morphing into each other and are set to the rythm of the less than 300 word Buddhist chant, itself an almost geometric construction in sound.

I am hoping to exhibit the animation HEART as a projection on fabric at one of the local shrines.

The exhibition opens on November 2nd 2008.