Twined Paper Cord
Written on February 26, 2010
Picking up on the previous post, below this one, which showed recycled, braided back pads or seate, I decided to show another kind of twining—this one done with paper recycled from ledger books and twisted into long cords to use as string.
Shown is a long section of recycled paper twine cradled by an antique Korean grain measure.
If you look closely, you can see blips of black and grey in the paper cord: this, of course, is the charcoal-based ink calligraphy on the repuporsed mulberry paper.
Because the fibers of paper mulberry (kozo in Japanese) are so long, the paper made from this plant is almost like unwoven cloth: it is extremely pliable, unlike the cellulose paper we use every day.
I believe this paper cord was made sometime mid-to-late last century.
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stunning composition: the mended fabric, the grain scoop, the cord. tonal, textured. oblong, round, squiggly. amazing how the mulberry unravels and then shows the residual ink. this would be a very auspicious thing to use indeed, like eating long noodles in the new year. ^^
February 27, 2010 @ 3:08 am
wonderful paper textile again. this so much reminds me of the twined vessels made from hanji that aimee lee recently explored in her fulbright research in korea.
February 27, 2010 @ 8:08 am
@velma — how cool! small world: my husband was a fulbright lecturer in spring 2008. look forward to seeing aimee’s work in the newsletter, or point me to it if you can. (maybe she was there last year)
February 27, 2010 @ 2:30 pm
ahhh, here it is. http://aimeelee.net/paper/hanjiresearch/
March 1, 2010 @ 8:56 pm