Today a throwback to a Workshop I attended during the XTANT 2025 festival by the lovely Eri, a great experience!
As we arrived at the actual start of the XTANT festival, we missed the opening ceremony the evening before, but luckily we had a few days to explore and follow a workshop. We choose the one given by Eri of Wara which we really loved. At the actual festival at Can Vivot, Wara also presented their work throughout the week.
Inspired by the meditative sensation she felt when touching rice straw, Eri began her creative journey in 2020. Against the backdrop of Japanese culture and inspired by the changing seasons, she creates a one-of-a-kind worldview that focuses on the depths of the mind. Her activities have attracted attention and not only in Japan, at XTANT HUACA Eri hold her first exhibition and workshop overseas.
Shimenawa
Eri works with Shimenawa (Sacred straw ropes) and Sekimori stones, and creates scenography that translates ancient culture into the modern age. [Shimenawa are stylized ropes made of twisted rice straw and hemp, holding significant cultural and spiritual importance in Japan, particularly within the Shinto religion. They are used to demarcate sacred spaces, ward off evil spirits, and symbolize purification ] We started the workshop with a short Zazen (座禅) Buddhist meditation after which Eri, with the help of a translator introduced the history and cultural significance of Shimenawa with us.
For the workshop everything was brought from Japan, from the rice straws to the water for the tea ceremony at the end of the workshop. It was quite difficult and hard work to make the sacred rope, but I enjoyed every minute of it and it is a beautiful souvenir to have brought home and remind me of the festival and the workshop. It was hard work making the rope, but at the end we all managed to make our own.
Thank you Eri and XTANT for this beautiful experience, hope to see you next time.
Images ©vosgesparis
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Het bericht Shimenawa (注連縄) The making of a sacred rope workshop by Wara verscheen eerst op vosgesparis.