About the exhibitor
Shao Xuan, a graduate of Tokyo Zokei University, has created a completely new kind of washi by turning paper shavings, waste materials, and old clothes meant for the garbage heap into Japanese-style washi paper. The resulting texture — and even the scent — of the paper changes depending on what it is mixed with. Xuan believes the many possibilities of washi can be demonstrated by exhibiting papers made from a mixture of various materials and by utilising the characteristics of washi's long fibers and impressive strength.
About the products
When most of us pick up a book or notebook we may not consider the amount of waste created in the bookbinding process. With that in mind, shapes of paper scraps from the binding process of printer Nakashoshiko are mixed with washi paper to create a new kind of paper. The shapes and colors capture the moment when waste paper materials of different textures and shapes scatter apart in free space. The finished paper is destined to become the cover of books and notebooks.
Photos by Junri Ikushima
