Richard Tuttle collaborated with FWM in 1978, and nearly twenty years later in 1998, to create new projects using fabric. During his first residency, Tuttle embraced the hand screen-printing process to make a series of clothing—Shirts in 1978 and Pants in 1979. These projects were the costumes for a dance performance and worn by members of the Pennsylvania Ballet. Then, in 1998, Tuttle completed the conceptual fashion work The Thinking Cap. This piece was also screen-printed and focuses on connecting to the mind rather than the body. The Thinking Cap rested on another collaborative project, 24, a Minimalist sculptural table made from twenty-four wooden boards.
Tuttle’s kimono work, “Extraordinary”, from his 2014-15 residency, was on view in the major exhibition, Both/And Richard Tuttle Print and Cloth. The hand-sewn yukatas, or summer kimonos, were made of sarashi cloth, a traditional Japanese cotton fabric. There are two editions: one for men and one for women. The design and pattern in this edition were chusen-dyed, a traditional Japanese method of dyeing using stencil paper, by Miyamoto Co., Ltd., in Osaka, Japan. The pattern of the woman’s yukata design is a 90-degree rotation of the man’s design. As Tuttle explained, “By changing the direction of the bars, dynamic energy is achieved.”
