Through Sewing and Storytelling: Rima Day on Balancing Technique and Creativity in Her Textile Art

Transmission 111: Interview with Rima Day

Artist Rima Day creates pieces of art inspired by the human body and the natural world using thread, fabric, paper, and other materials. She studied fashion design in her native city of Tokyo as well as in New York City. Later, she worked as a freelance bespoke ballet costumer in Connecticut and New York City. Despite having a background in fashion design and costuming, she used her aptitude for sewing clothes as a means of self-expression through art, creating her own personal language. As part of her upcycling endeavors, she began creating 18th-century gowns out of old jeans while working at the Vanderbilt University costume shop. After seeing these gowns displayed in a number of galleries, she concluded that she could transform her sewing prowess into artworks.

Textile art is a long-standing tradition that includes numerous conventional techniques. However, Rima Day avoids getting stuck in doing things the traditional way. She prefers to consider and explore different options and possibilities. The slowness of the hand process and the creative decision-making in her artwork are in tension with each other, resembling the vital neurological pathways that emerge from Rima’s consciousness as her creative ideas take root. Thread symbolizes connections; even if it isn’t used to physically join separate pieces, the artist relates herself to nature’s fragility and resilience. In addition to numerous private collections, her fabric books and art can be found in the collections of the University of Iowa, Yale University, the University of California, Princeton University, Southern Methodist University, and other colleges and libraries.

Rima Day’s official site, Instagram and Facebook

Can you share about your beginning?  Red thread is a powerful symbol in various cultures and narratives but has a special meaning in East Asia narrative. What does it represent in your artwork, and why did you decide to use it as your main medium to express your creativity?

I worked with reclaimed denim in the beginning. This means that I only used different shades of blue. I liked the minimal colour/shade choice because I could focus on shapes. But I got tired of being so limited and started to dye fabric by myself, and my palette was expanded. In the beginning, it was enjoyable, but quickly, it became overwhelming. I wanted to go back to a more simple palette. Red took over because I was using anatomical hearts as my motifs, which is the colour of blood. So, I can still suggest a heart without making the heart itself. It represents so many things across cultures. In the Japanese culture that I grew up in, it symbolizes connection, wards off evil spirits, and is used for celebration. I also am a lover of the Renaissance art. So I know the red, as blood in religious paintings, has a different meaning that is very deep. All these together made me realize red is such a meaningful colour that represents life and love.

Her aim to create a connection with the outside world can be seen in the dangling threads, three-dimensional veins, and red thread root systems found in her artwork.

What  does choosing red thread  and focusing on a colour bring through embroidery? What challenges have you faced in creating these intricate embroideries? What are the most rewarding aspects of creating your artwork

Honestly, I am not 100% certain what I do is called embroidery. But using red and making a blood vessel-like matrix really makes me focus on the shapes and how the shape is placed on the surface. The challenge is the time required because of its repetitiveness. I usually don’t mind it, but when I need to make something for a deadline, it can be difficult. I feel rewarded when I see layers of organza with a thread network that looks very organic, as if it had grown by itself.

As Rima Day sews, she imagines that the needle she uses is a writer’s pen. She uses thread to express herself instead of words to convey her ideas.

Can you describe your creative process? Do you start with a specific concept, or does the design evolve day by day? How long does it take to finish an artwork considering from the idea to the final piece?

I do have a concept, but not a detailed one. I just let the needle move as I stitch. It usually stays in my original direction. It probably takes three weeks or so to make a medium-sized book.

How do you choose the historical events, nature, and human experience or figures that you portray in your embroideries? Do you start with a story and find natural elements that fit, or vice versa?

I get interested in making an object first, such as a corset, and think about what I can do. Or I might have a technique I want to use and think about what I can make with it. It is rare for me to have a story or something that I want to depict first. I am attracted to the art of craftsman, and I worked as a costume maker and seamstress for a long time before making artwork. So, my inspiration for artmaking often stems from more technical aspects. However, I keep all the inspiring stories and people in my mind, so I tap into them when I decide to make something.

Your work involves a layering of visual and narrative elements. How do you balance the visual aesthetic with the deeper meanings you want to convey?

I don’t know if my works convey the meaning that I intend to communicate—I hope they do….. I think I focus on the narrative elements when I decide on how the work should look (I guess it can be called designing) and on aesthetics when I actually make them.

Having sewn for many years, thread has always been the element that unites the separate pieces and parts of humanity. Her main focuses are vitality, love, fragility, and health.

What materials do you typically use for your embroideries? Are there any tissue or unconventional techniques you employ?

I use Aurifil threads in different thicknesses and silk organza. I sometimes use paper to stabilize the organza when I stitch, but that is really rare. My stitching itself might not be conventional—I never had a chance to ask an expert if this is really embroidery or something else.

Chiharu Shiota inspired Rima Day to take pictures of objects and embroider them, but her own creativity leads her to places where she can communicate her emotional, philosophical, and spiritual thoughts through an artistic language of her choosing

How does the medium of embroidery shape the way you tell stories? How has your approach to intertwining history, nature, and human experience evolved over time?

My stitching does not depict scenes or people. So, my storytelling is not literal. But it suits me. I like to leave a lot of room for the viewers to imagine. On the other hand, I am always thinking about how to communicate what I want to express better. I explore a lot. As I experiment, it becomes clearer what my work feels like. I don’t think my approach has changed much. Still, I became more open to doing something a little different by experimenting a lot.

Are there any new directions or themes you’re excited to explore in the future? What do you hope your art will convey? Is there a specific message or legacy you aim to leave behind?

I am considering incorporating more photographs of nature that I took into my fabric books. I am also interested in more abstract works with red thread. I want to remind the viewers of the fragility of the human mind and body, the similarity and connection between humans and nature, and the resilience of nature so we can draw energy to be stronger.

Photos and images courtesy of Rima Day

Dominique Musorrafiti

Ciao! My name is Dominique. I’m Italian and I’m proud to be a mix. My father was an Italian chemical engineer and high school teacher, with Greek and Polish heritage. My mother is Haitian, she was high school language teacher, with Dominican, Spanish, French, Portuguese, African and Native American heritage. Being a mix makes me appreciate to want to understand different cultures and lifestyles. I grew up in Italy, lived few years in Haiti, travel around main European capitals, lived many years in China, in Spain and UK. Traveling makes me feel that we can learn something from every situation in every part of the world.