Hand woven　手織り

手織作家　兵藤智栄

1975年生。生まれた時から物覚えがよく世話のかからない娘だった。4歳の頃、言葉が次第に減ってきたことに気づいた。そこからあらゆる専門の先生に出会った。小学生の頃から良き指導者を求め県外にもよく出掛けた。中学・高校は地元和歌山の支援学校に通う。高3で手織りを浜松のこども園で習う。「他の子が半年から１年かかってようやく覚えるものをたった１週間で習得した。天才だ。」とお褒めの言葉を戴いた。季節感・多様な風景を求め、山歩き・海外旅行を数多く経験した。18歳の時初めての海外はバリ島で、北欧・南欧・東欧・スリランカ・ニュージーランド等38カ国を旅した。熊野古道の早咲きの山桜・うこんの桜・大台ケ原の春のシャクナゲや紅葉等々。

1994年から障がい者施設に籍を置きながら心象風景を手織りで表現している。和歌山大学の先生には、カンデンスキー（純粋抽象絵画の創立者）に似ているとの評価を受けている。

2023年1月メゾン・エ・オブジェパリに初出展し、モナコ公国の有名なブティックの女性経営者にお買い上げ戴いた。

又、世界的に有名なファッションメーカーからは芸術品との評価を戴いた。
今後はスカーフ・マフラーの装身具、絵画・壁掛け等の室内インテリアに留まらず、デザイン力そのものを生かしファッションメーカーなどとの協力を志向している。

Hand weaver　Thiē HYODO

Thiē Hyodo, our beloved hand weaver was born in 1975. She was blessed with a good memory and a carefree spirit, but in about her forth year of life, it was noticed that her speech was gradually decreasing. Consequently, she visited a number of doctors specializing in various fields, and from the time she was in elementary school, she often traveled outside the prefecture in search of professionals who could provide her with the best of care.

In junior high and high school, she attended a support school in her hometown of Wakayama. In her third year of high school, she went to learn hand weaving at a children’s school in the city of Hamamatsu. Upon returning, she joyfully exclaimed, “I accomplished in just one week what it takes other children six months to a year to learn.” She was praised as a genius.

Seeking a sense of the seasons and diverse landscapes, she has hiked mountains and traveled abroad many times, including her first overseas trip to Bali at the age of 18. In total, she has visited 38 countries, including those in northern Europe, southern Europe, eastern Europe, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. In addition to her foreign travels, she has also spent time enjoying the early-blooming Mountain Cherry blossoms along the World Heritage site of Kumano Kodo, cherry blossoms in Ukon, rhododendrons and autumn leaves in Odaigahara, and more. She holds a sincere appreciation for nature.

Since 1994, she has been expressing her creativity by hand weaving while registered at a facility for people with disabilities. A professor at Wakayama University has commented that she reminded him of Kandensky, one of the creators of pure abstract painting.

Early in 2023, she exhibited at Maison & Objet in Paris for the first time. One of her hand-woven creations was purchased by the female owner of a famous boutique in the Principality of Monaco. Furthermore, the vice-president of a world-famous fashion manufacturer evaluated the collection as works of art.

In the future, our aim is to cooperate with fashion designers by making the most of our design ability, not only for accessories such as textile garments, paintings, and wall hangings, but also for interior decorations.