Column
fro m 1992 th at’s w ro u g h t fro m m ach in e-stitch ed and fo ld e d
an tiq u e Jap an ese in d ig o -d ye d p ap er.
U p sta irs, a trio o f S e k im ach i’s sign atu re fish-line m on ofilam en t
w e a v in g s un dulate in th e b re e z e , fram ed b y a co lle ctio n o f th e airy
scu lp tu re s she calls T w in e lin e s —“ lik e lin e d ra w in g s in s p a c e ” —
m ou n ted on th e w a lls. A n d h o ld in g c o u rt on to p o f on e shell-laden
c a b in e t are a fe w o f h e r C o ra l C re a tu re s : ro c k s a n im a ted w ith
b its o f sh ell, coral and sea u rch in spin es th at h a ve been w o rk e d into
th e n atu ral h o le s. “ T h e y w e r e so m uch fu n to d o ,” sa ys S e k im a ch i,
h e r y o u th fu l fa ce b re a k in g in to a b ro a d sm ile, “ anim als, o n e -e y e d
m o n sters—e v e r y p ie ce m akes m e lau g h .”
S e k im a ch i a ctu a lly b egan p illag in g h er b ea ch tr o v e in th e late
’ 90s in H a w a ii. “ I w a s n e v e r on e to sta y still. S o I ’d sit on th e lan ai
fa cin g th e w a te r and p ain t th e se little w a te rc o lo rs , th en m ou n t
so m e o f th e sm alle r sp e cim e n s o n to p .” S e k im a c h i g ro u p e d th em
in fo lio s w ith title s lik e
Sticks and Stones
and
Shells and Bones.
S h e
started to g e t h er to e s w e t w ith je w e lr y th ree y e a rs ag o , b y m akin g
a g ift fo r fe llo w w e a v e r D o m in ic D i M a re , w h o w a s v isitin g th e
islan d . “ It w a s his b irth d a y , and I d e cid e d to m ake 75 k n o ts on the
h em p tw in e —o n e fo r each y e a r—b u t I d id n ’t w a n t to lo se tra ck , so
I tie d on a strin g e v e r y 10 k n o ts and atta ch ed a sh ell at th e b o tto m .”
T h e m o v e to u n d e rtak e a n e w b o d y o f w o r k w a s m o tiv a te d b y
a v is it fro m a n o th e r fr ie n d , je w e le r K i f f S le m m o n s. “ K i f f cam e
to P u a k o , and w e sp e n t a w o n d e rfu l w e e k w a lk in g alo n g th e b each ,
g a th e rin g th in gs and p la y in g w ith all th e tre a su re s,” recalls S e k i-
m ach i. S o o n a fte r , th e C h ica g o -b a se d S le m m o n s cam e to O a k la n d
as a v is itin g a rtist at th e C a lifo rn ia C o lle g e o f A r t and sta y e d at
Opposite: Three of
Sekimachi’s monofila-
ments dating from the
’60s to the ’80s undulate
like the Three Fates
of the jellyfish world
alongside an arrange-
ment of black and
white Twinelines.
Below: Sekimachi’s
house is a treasure trove
of her own work and
that of such friends as
Maloof, who created
this rocking chair.
Right: Sea urchin
shells fill another
one of Sekimachi’s
Tansu drawers.
S e k im a ch i’s h o u se. “ W h e n sh e lo o k e d and
sa w all the shells and ro ck s laid o u t and som e
o f th e w o r k I’d started , she said , ‘K a y , this
co u ld b e je w e lr y ,’ and th a t g o t m e th in k in g
h o w I m igh t b e able to co m b in e m y w e a v in g
w ith m y c o lle ctin g to m ake so m e th in g e n -
tire ly n e w .”
S o m e o f th e b ra ce lets and n e ck la ce s u ti-
liz e th e sp lit-p ly te ch n iq u e th a t S e k im a c h i
d isc o v e re d in th e ’ 70s, w h e n sh e b ecam e
in te re ste d in th e a n cien t m eth o d fo r w e a v -
in g cam el girth s. “ It has th e ad d ed b en efit
o f b e in g p o rta b le ,” sh e sa ys. “ A ll y o u n eed
is a stu rd y b a sk e t to h old th e w a rp , a c ro -
c h e t h o o k and so m e k in d o f p lie d y a r n .”
S h e u se d th e te ch n iq u e to c re a te th e op en -
w e a v e w o r k on n e c k la c e s and b ra ce le ts
and to c re a te a c h o k e r m ade o f m in iatu re
T w in e lin e s —sm all w o v e n cag es th at en case
d e c o ra tiv e b its o f coral and lava. S ek im ach i
also retu rn ed to card w e a v in g , w h ic h sh e’d
em p lo y e d fo r th e M a ru g a w a h an gin gs (and
w h ic h d ates to th e tim e o f th e V ik in g s ).
“ E sse n tia lly , y o u n eed a d e c k o f cards w ith
h o le s at ea ch c o rn e r. T h e w a rp th re a d s
g e t th read ed th rough th e h o les, and th e cards
are tu rn e d to m ak e a sh e d . T o w e a v e a
tu b e , th e w e ft e n te rs th e sh ed fro m th e
sam e sid e , and a fte r th e w e a v in g is d o n e
it g e ts p u lle d ,” sh e e x p la in s. “ I fo u n d a
b la c k , p o lish ed c o tto n w a rp in m y d ra w e r
all re a d y to g o and d e c id e d to w e a v e a n ar-
r o w tu b e ra th e r lo o s e ly so it co u ld g o
arou n d th e n e c k , th en ad d ed m y fa v o rite
b la ck n erite sh ells to th e frin g e .” >
oct/novio american craft 047
