Tatsumi Orimoto

New York Times Magazine

"Tatsumi Orimoto created “Bread Man, Tokyo, October 7, 2024" exclusively for T and had the work documented and photographed by his longtime assistant, Noritoshi Motoda. “Orimoto had been influenced by the Fluxus artists and daily life and objects in late 1960s and 1970s New York City … and, since his youth in 1960s Japan, he’s loved bread," says Motoda, noting that Orimoto has done about 200 similar performances since 1991.." - Ella Quittner - New York Times Magazine

Haenyeo: Women Of The Sea

Haenyeo: Women Of The Sea at The National Maritime Museum London focused on the free divers of the South Korean Island of Jeju.  An exploration through portraiture and film revealed a culture of fortitude and resilience together with a great respect for the Sea.

This 3 month event featured artists Hyung S. Kim,  Mikhail Karikis and Heeyoung Koh, curated by Mark Waugh and Soo Cho with support from Joanna Salter from The National Maritime Museum Greenwich.

 Inscribed in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

"In Jeju Island, there is a community of women, some aged in their 80s, which goes diving 10m under the sea to gather shellfish, such as abalone or sea urchins for a living without the help of oxygen masks. With knowledge of the sea and marine life, the Jeju haenyeo (female divers) harvest for up to seven hours a day, 90 days of the year holding their breath for just one minute for every dive and making a unique verbal sound when resurfacing. Divers are categorised into three groups according to level of experience: hagun, junggun and sanggun with the sanggun offering guidance to the others. Before a dive, prayers are said to the Jamsugut, goddess of the sea, to ask for safety and an abundant catch. Knowledge is passed down to younger generations in families, schools, local fishery cooperatives which have the area’s fishing rights, haenyeo associations, The Haenyeo School and Haenyeo Museum. Designated by the provincial government as representating the island’s character and people’s spirit, the culture of Jeju haenyeo has also contributed to the advancement of women’s status in the community and promoted environmental sustainability with its eco-friendly methods and community involvement in management of fishing practices." - ich.unesco.org/en/RL/culture-of-jeju-haenyeo-women-divers-01068

Preen Thornton Bregazzi AW18

"They’re eco feminist, stated Bregazzi. I don’t think men are doing a very good job at looking after the world so let’s hope women are going to do a better job.

Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton discovered this at a traveling photography exhibition at London’s National Maritime Museum last year. “They are just so incredibly strong, and we found it fascinating to look at how they dress to dive—with their scuba equipment, but feminizing it with layers of lace blouses or other bits of clothing from their wardrobes.” As parents raising two daughters, the designers want to immerse their children in the belief that gender equality is a right. After deep reading around the haenyeo community, they made the obvious connection with the state of mother nature. The makings of a collection that centered on eco-feminism was born.

With prior knowledge of this research background, you could pick out the references: the tight hoods, scuba fabric parkas and pencil skirts, trails of fishnet, bags manifested as buoys, marine blues, shimmery mother-of-pearl and gold sequins, and “seaweed”-sprouting shoes. Had you not read up? You’d see Preen by Thornton Bregazzi working its way through its signature repertoire of florals and dippy-hemmed dresses, with some Asian-appropriated padded brocade coats, fringed with goat hair.

Where does that leave us? The submerged meanings are important to these designers—they’ve gotten into the habit of leaving photographs of stacks of their reading matter on benches at their shows. Still, plunging into eco-waters and matters of cultural appropriation will inevitably raise many questions today." Sarah Mower Vogue

“These woman our eco-warriors” said Justin Thornton after the Preen AW18 show. “The rope belts, the knits that look like foam on the beach, we wanted to create an environmental feel.” How did this come about? “We were inspired by a Korean sea-diving community where they layer over all their clothes, and actually look so fashionable.”

Like many of the pair's collections, this season Preen took inspiration from women and the places that they occupate in society. Fascinated by the stories of the Haenyeo women of Jeju whose portraits they came across at the Maritime Museum last year, the collection focused on feminity in harsher climats - much like the political landscape of today. Taking us to the South Korean province of Jeju, Preen relayed the story of the island's female divers, women in their sixties and seventies known for their independent spirit, iron will and determination.

Preen are designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi: https://preenbythorntonbregazzi.com