Midair by Jacob Hashimoto
Beyond by Jacob Hashimoto
Maharam introduces Beyond and Midair by Jacob Hashimoto, the first woven textiles designed with the New York-based multimedia artist and longtime Maharam Digital Projects collaborator. Sharing Hashimoto’s inclination toward interdisciplinary exploration, the design studio was intrigued by the challenge of translating the materiality of the artist’s expansive three-dimensional sculptures into woven textiles.
Hashimoto’s practice traverses traditional and contemporary media, having exhibited works ranging from oil paintings and prints to bicycle frames. His sculptures range in size from petite wall installations to large-scale architectural interventions, and often comprise numerous modular components such as handmade bamboo-and-paper kites, enameled foam cubes, or model boats. “Jacob’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of traditional disciplines and techniques made extending our collaboration to woven textiles so natural,” says Mary Murphy, senior vice president of design. “His ambitious approach to layering, movement, and space presented a unique opportunity to accomplish something new with woven textiles.”
Hashimoto worked closely with the design studio to develop two distinct textile patterns that reflect the characteristic materiality and intricacy of his installations. Beyond references Hashimoto’s sculptures composed of kites hung in rhythmic arrangements for animated impact. Circular motifs woven with botanical, ceramic, technological, and geometric references evoke the hand-adorned kites of Hashimoto’s prolific sculptures, emerging and receding from tonal grounds like steel gray, lavender, and taupe. Bright accent hues such as citrine, olive, and papaya enhance the pattern’s exuberant use of space.
Midair references the measured expansiveness of Hashimoto’s sculptures where handmade kites are meticulously suspended from one another. Enlisting eleven tones per colorway, Midair’s repeat features compact clusters of connected kites featuring nineteen vibrant patterns. Patterned kites occasionally overlap and blend with unadorned, transparent kites, allowing for intricate pattern exploration emphasized by neutral grounds.