Seiko Purdue's "Above the Line" installation on view at Queen through May 17

Seiko Purdue's installation of fibers and natural dyes is on exhibition at Queen, a unique exhibition space that is the same dimension as a queen-sized bed. The installation is available for viewing by appointment through May 17. Queen is located at 621 N. Forest #1 in Bellingham.

Email Queen to schedule a viewing.

The forms of "Above the Line" are cast from tie-dyed fabric that looks like topographical maps or nipples. We see such basic forms in various organic environments/systems, from large scale to small, including the human body. By looking at above the line, we imagine something happening underneath.

Seiko Atsuta Purdue is Professor in the Fibers/Fabrics area in the Department of Art at Western Washington University. After receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Kyoto Seika University in 1992, she came to the United States where she received an MA at Montclair State University and a Masters of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has exhibited textile installations widely and has given workshops on Japanese textiles (shibori, katazome, and papermaking) for many years. She has curated “Coded Threads: Textiles and Technology” and Katazome Today: Migration of A Japanese Art.”

Much of her work is installation-based, using fiber materials or ideas of fiber, seeking to connect East and West. She explores both traditional and contemporary textile techniques, particularly casting. After exploring the theme of motherhood using domestic materials such as clothing and toys, she is moving towards more global issues; “Hyoga (Iceberg)” based on the concept of global warming and “Meadow and Cluster” created during the pandemic. Her concerns about labor and honoring handworks are involved in her artmaking in various ways. Wish Project is ongoing project and “Kimihimo Wishes” is the latest of her public participation work intended to connect human relationships during the pandemic.