a+u 07:11 SP

The first special issue devoted to interiors commemorates Eriko Horiki’s 20 years working with traditional Japanese washi paper. When making a career change and starting her company, Horiki had no experience in art, design, or running a business. Witnessing the dying traditions of the washi industry, she felt compelled to learn the process and made it her mission to reverse the trend.

Traveling to Fukui, which is the center of papermaking in Japan, Horiki learned the painstaking process of hand making washi. In turn she developed new methods modernizing the process, resulting in two patents. The studio can create single sheets 16m in length, which can require a whole month to complete.

Horiki pushed the use of washi beyond a craft material and searched for new applications in architecture. This led to a focus on light, transparency, and structure, leading to innovative forms. Her work for Disney, Yo-Yo Ma’s stage art, and large scale exhibitions took washi to previously unseen venues and applications.

Text in English and Japanese.