With Washi, Light and Space Shimmer in Harmony

Light passing through washi paper softens the contours of space.
Left: Ceiling illumination for the Fuji-no-ma Hall at the Kyoto State Guest House. (Photo: PIXTA)
Right: Washi gate. The work is called Koukou (“Rainbow Light”). Threads of seven colors were incorporated within the paper during the manufacturing process. (Horiki Eriko Exhibition, 2012. Photo: Asakawa Satoshi)

Lights inside washi paper “curtains,” for a store display at Guerlain in Paris, 2014. (Design and production: Jörg Gessner. Photo: Sugihara Shoten)

Tapestry art expressing the moon in different phases. The washi was given pale tints during the manufacturing process. A creation of Horiki Eriko, Japan’s most prominent designer using handmade washi to give artistic expression to space. She is active in the design of architectural space in Japan and abroad. (At Hanamurasaki Restaurant in Ishikawa Prefecture; Photo: Photography department of Shinkenchikusha Co., Ltd.)