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Object Timeline

1975

  • Work on this object began.

2002

  • We acquired this object.

  • We photographed this object.

  • Work on this object ended.

2013

2015

2024

  • You found it!

Textile, Mica

This is a Textile. It was manufactured by Takekura Co., Ltd.. It is dated ca. 1995–98 and we acquired it in 2002. Its medium is polyester yarn (weft), polyester slit film (warp) and its technique is plain weave, manually pleated and heat set. It is a part of the Textiles department.

Mica was designed by Reiko Sudo, one of Japan’s most important contemporary textile designers. Educated at Musashino Art University, she and Junichi Arai were the co-founders in 1984 of the Japanese company and store, NUNO, which produces textiles of extraordinary ingenuity and beauty. Sudo and the other designers at NUNO combine tradition and advanced technologies with remarkable creativity, which led them to the forefront of textile design field.
Mica, designed in 1995, represents the remarkable characteristics of polyester when manipulated under certain conditions. In this case, wrapping the yellow semi-transparent and plain-woven polyester into a tight ball and heat-setting the material results in a randomly pleated surface. This combination of handwork and industrial machinery is characteristic of NUNO’s textiles and sets them apart from many designers practicing today.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Random beauty.

This object was donated by The Museum of Modern Art. It is credited Gift of The Museum of Modern Art, courtesy of the designer.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 487.7 × 108 cm (16 ft. × 42 1/2 in.)

Cite this object as

Textile, Mica; Manufactured by Takekura Co., Ltd.; Japan; polyester yarn (weft), polyester slit film (warp); H x W: 487.7 × 108 cm (16 ft. × 42 1/2 in.); Gift of The Museum of Modern Art, courtesy of the designer; 2002-17-3

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18696065/ |title=Textile, Mica |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=24 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>