Nicholas Cladis - An Alchemy of Control : A Discussion on Echizen Washi

For those who are regular listeners of The Unfinished Print, you will know that I had the privilege of visiting the city of Echizen in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, where I attended the 2024 Mokuhanga Conference earlier this year. Echizen is renowned for its long history of paper production, supplying paper to the entire country.

In this episode of The Unfinished Print, I speak with Nicholas Cladis, Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of Iowa Center. Having lived and studied paper in Japan and around the world, Nicholas and I discuss the elements of Japanese paper, known as washi, its production process, and specifically how washi is made in Echizen. I ask Nicholas for his opinion on the concerns surrounding the decline of traditional Japanese washi production, and we also explore his own experiences in paper making in the United States and what he hopes to achieve.

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Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase.

Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known.

Nicholas Cladis - website, Instagram

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opening and closing credit -Another Land by Dave Holland from the album Another Land (2021) Edition Records

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***The opinions expressed by guests in The Unfinished Print podcast are not necessarily those of André Zadorozny and of Popular Wheat Productions.***