T h e la te st b o d y o f w o r k b y fib er artist K a y
S e k im ach i—n e ck la ce s, pin s and b ra ce lets
in c o rp o ra tin g o b je c ts w a sh e d up b y th e
sea—g iv e s n e w m ean in g to th e term “ w o r k -
in g v a c a tio n .”
S ek im ach i started v isitin g th e sou th K o -
h ala C o a s t o f th e B ig Isla n d o f H a w a ii
in th e 1970s w ith h e r la te h u sb a n d , m a ster
w o o d tu rn e r B o b S to ck sd a le , and retu rn ed
to th e sam e h ou se y e a r a fte r y e a r fo r alm ost
th ree d ecad es. C o m b in g th e san d y b each es
an d la v a -fo rm e d tid e p o o ls o f P u a k o B a y ,
she h a rv e ste d sh ells, b its o f co ra l, fo ssils,
fish v e rte b ra e , th e d elicate b o n es o f b ird s,
sea u rch in sp in es and o th er o ce a n ic ep h em -
era w ith d ed icate d rig o r b u t n o particu lar
en d gam e in m ind. O n ce d u b bed th e “ w e a v -
er’s w e a v e r ” b y te x tile d esig n e r J a ck L e n o r
L a rse n (w h o m sh e a ssiste d a t th e H a y -
sta ck M o u n ta in S c h o o l o f C ra fts in 19 5 6 ),
S e k im a c h i w a s im m ersed in red efin in g th e
b o u n d aries o f w h a t co u ld b e w o v e n , on and
o f f th e lo o m . B u t p o rin g o v e r th e fo u n d
o b je cts h e lp e d k e e p h e r a rtistic g a z e h o n ed ,
e sp e cia lly w h e n a w a y fro m th e stu d io.
A ft e r each v a ca tio n , S e k im ach i retu rn e d
to h e r h om e o n a le a fy stre e t in sou th B e r k e -
le y to c h o re o g ra p h th e p ie ce s sh e ’d p lu ck e d
o f f th e b e a ch . S o m e are a rran g e d a lo n g
w in d o w s ills and ta b le to p s, b u t m o st resid e
insid e h er c o lle ctio n o f T a n su ch ests—w h ic h
resem b le c u rio s ity cab in e ts as cu ra te d b y
Jo se p h C o rn e ll in A tla n tis. E ach d ra w e r is
a k in d o f w a b i-sa b i still life , w ith sp ecim en s
a rran g e d b y ty p e , c o lo r and sh a p e , and
Above: Two of
Sekimachi’s wall hang-
ings,
Homage to A.M.
(Agnes Martin) and
Homage to p.k.
(Paul
Юсе), hang above pieces
made from found ob-
jects, such as
Spine Forest
(left) and
Driftwood
Angel
(right). The cov-
ered Band-Aid box by
Lenore T awney holds
glass tubes that Seki-
machi filled with coral.
Left: Sekimachi care-
fully arranges much of
her beachcombing col-
lection in the drawers
of her Tansu chests.
Opposite: Sam Maloof
made the dining table
base and chairs; the
tabletop was fabricated
by Bob Stocksdale,
whose turned bowls are
displayed on the book-
shelves above. The
ceramic piece in the
center is by Toshiko
Takaezu.
co n c a v e ab alon e and tu rk e y w in g sh ells n e ste d lik e R u ssian d o lls,
th e sm allest th e a p p ro x im ate siz e o f a ch ild ’s fin gern ail.
E v e r y th in g in S e k im a c h i’s h o u se is p la ce d w ith sim ilar c are ,
b e it a fe a th e r, a w a ll h an g in g o r a p a p e r h o rn e t’s n est. R e p le te w ith
o b je cts, y e t strik in g ly u n clu ttere d , th e V icto ria n -e ra d w e llin g w as
lib e ra te d in to a lig h t-fille d lo ft b y A lb e r t L a n ie r, la te h u sb an d
o f a rtist R u th A s a w a ( w h o , lik e S e k im a c h i, w a s b o rn in 1926 and
re lo ca te d to in tern m en t cam p s d u rin g W o r ld W a r II). T o g e th e r,
S ek im ach i and S to c k sd a le fille d it w ith w o r k s b y frie n d s and p e e rs,
in clu d in g e n a m e list Ju n e S c h w a r c z , ce ra m ist T o s h ik o T a k a e z u ,
sc u lp to r D o r o th y G ill B a rn e s, w e a v e r L ia C o o k , an d S e k im a c h i’s
m e n to r and frie n d w e a v e r T r a d e G u e rm o n p re z. S it on th e co u ch ,
and y o u d isc o v e r th a t th e ottom an w a s a g ift fro m G e o rg e N akash i-
m a’s d au gh ter, M ira . T h e k itch e n tab le and ch airs w e r e w e d d in g
p re se n ts fro m S am M a lo o f, an d in S e k im a c h i’s w e a v in g ro o m is
B olin as w o o d w o r k e r A r t C a rp e n te r’s first S ca llo p -sh e ll d esk.
T h e room s also se rv e as a k in d o f tim e cap su le fo r S e k im a ch i’s
a rtistic e x p lo ra tio n s. H a n g in g , flo a tin g and n estled th ro u g h o u t are
fib er and p a p e r p ie ce s sp an n in g som e 60 y e a rs. T h e m u ltilayered
ta p e strie s and ro o m d iv id e rs e v o lv e d a fte r S e k im a c h i d is c o v e re d
th e w o r k o f A n n i A lb e rs and th e B auhaus and aban d on ed th e p re -
c e p t th a t w e a v e rs n e e d e d to m ak e fu n ctio n a l ite m s, su ch as p lace-
m ats. T h e r e are w o v e n b o o k s th at u n fo ld to re ve al eth ereal scen es
fro m n atu re th a t h a v e b e e n h e a t-tra n sfe rre d o n to th e w a rp , sm all
b a sk e ts w ith b u rn t en d s, an d d e lic a te p a p e r b o w ls . O n e o f h e r
b la c k , tu b u lar M a ru g a w a s—o r R iv e rs —flo w s d o w n fro m th e seco n d
flo o r, en gaged in a k in d o f call-an d -resp on se w ith a to w e rin g
Paper)
044 american craft oct/nov 10
