shashasha

The sewing box as a personal mini-verse

Inspired by her mother’s life-long passion for designing and making clothes, Eye Ohashi centers her attention on the boxes in which people store their sewing goods. Following a few loose visual rules (white background, neutral lighting, slight angles), Ohashi explores the idiosyncrasies, personality and beauty of people’s sewing boxes. With the format of her photographs putting the focus first on the sometimes marked, sometimes subtle differences in style, shape and appearance between each of the boxes, we soon find ourselves examining the care that went into building the boxes and the various items they hold. The gorgeous, wooden box filled with numerous kinds of sewing machine yarn may belong, perhaps, to someone skilled in making clothes; the small plastic container with only a few buttons may be for emergency repairs of a business suit; and the cartoon-character badges and name-tags tucked away in ziplock bags let us follow a journey from early kindergarten to elementary school.

“These sewing boxes that have been used over the years give off a certain charm and remind us of the warmth that comes from human connection, making this photo collection strangely calming.”
― from the publisher’s description

“Eye Ohashi’s exploration of the importance of sewing through the lens of the sewing box goes beyond perceiving clothes as mere consumer items. It encompasses a broader understanding of an act of care that is deeply intertwined with an individual’s body, their sense of time, and their relationships with loved ones.”
— from Mika Kobayashi’s essay “An Ecosystem of Clothes” (included in Japanese & English)