New York Textile Month
Fabric & Flora
September 2019
flyingfishprojects is Christina Kim's new area of work, one that she has been thinking about for a while. She sees it as an extension of her clothing collection dosa, but with a focus on individual pieces, limited series and installations, made at different scales and more fully considered. The first flyingfishproject is titled Desert Flora from Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs—translations, in appliqué and embroidery, of nine sketches made at the garden in 2018. The handwork was done at Devi studio in Kolkata, India, using leftover Jamdani fabric. Kim was introduced to Moorten while preparing for the exhibit 'Scraps' at the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center. Charmed by the plants and drawn to the spirit and whimsy of the place, she made repeated joy-filled excursions there.
Describing how her installation work is evolving, Kim says 'I hope to use my hands more while continuing to collaborate with artisans and artists. My intention is to make work that engages visually and tactilely to communicate ideas, stories, or a point of view. The projects will emphasize work made by hand, guided by intuition, focused on the edges as much as the whole, informed by the process of making, and open to chance and change. I see flyingfishprojects as non-categorical work, existing somewhere between my design practice and my interest in making art. I will continue with dosa's ethos of making work that is organic, recycled, and off the grid; maintaining a goal of zero waste and always trying to think outside the box.'
text: Philip Fimmano
photo: Christina Kim