We spoke to artists Daphne Mohajer va Pesaran and Jake Nakashima-Edwards of DNJ Paper about their creative practice and the inspirations behind their work featured in our current exhibition Vessel, Cloth and Cloak, showing at the Australian Tapestry Workshop until the end of July.

How did you get into making art?

Art making has been a part of our lives for as long as we remember.

Who or what inspires you to create?

Washi is the keystone of our work - it’s a material with boundless possibilities. Washi is a constant source of surprise, wonder and inspiration, as are the artisans in Japan who produce this incredible material.

What does your practice involve – what techniques do you use in your work?

The techniques we use are a combination of historical, traditional techniques which have been practised for over a thousand years, and contemporary garment-making techniques.

What does a day in the studio look like?

An ideal day in the studio is full of material experimentation, dyeing, and sewing, though in reality there is far more admin work that we would like!

How does your work in this exhibition relate to your practice and where it is heading?

Our work in this exhibition is an extension of our values. Garment-making is often a wasteful process, but there is beauty and value in the “scraps” and “waste” we generate in the process of making. We are so grateful for the opportunity to share our work with this material and our perspectives about what we normally think of as “waste”.

What motivated you to create this piece?

An experimental approach to using 100% of our materials

What are your creative aspirations?

To make paper clothing that people will wear, repair and value.

‘Vessel, Cloth and Cloak’ is open to the public to view 1-5pm, Tuesday – Saturday until 29 July.

View the ‘Vessel, Cloth and Cloak’ exhibition page here.

DNJ Paper: Creating Paper and Fabric Collages Workshop