Introduction to the art of marbling on a textile bag charm with Mathilde Gullaud

During her residency with artisans in Tokyo in 2024 as part of the Edo Tokyo Kirari programme, Mathilde Gullaud connected her personal practice of textile marbling to suminagashi. The translation of this traditionally paper-based technique to a textile medium is the inspiration behind these meditative and creative workshops.

Suminagashi, which literally means “floating ink”, involves repeatedly dropping tiny amounts of ink onto water to create marbling on its surface—delicate coloured patterns reminiscent of marble and the endpapers of old books.

During this workshop, participants are invited to discover this intuitive and patient practice between art and meditation. By diluting the ink and carefully manipulating it with their breath, needles, and the movement of the water, they will obtain two unique prints that reflect the precision of their movements and skill: a first monochrome print on paper, and a second, coloured print on fabric.

Inspired by forms from Japanese mythology, participants will be able to cut their fabric bag charm into the shape of their choice and dye it with delicate marbled patterns.

Participants will take home their paper and textile bag charm.