French Workshop Turns Ghibli Films into Traditional Tapestries

Apr 8

As covered in The Tokyo Shimbun (TOKYO Web), scenes from major Studio Ghibli films are being transformed into larger-than-life traditional tapestries including Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind with hope for exhibition at Ghibli Park.

The Aubusson International Tapestry Centre, located in the small town of Aubusson, France, created the project. Announced in 2020, this five-part collection will depict scenes from Princess Mononoke (part one, unveiled March 25, 2022), Spirited Away (part two, estimated 2022), Howl’s Moving Castle (parts 3 and 4, est. 2023), and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (part 5, est. 2023). The tapestries are currently located at the International Tapestry Centre in Aubusson, France. The Centre hopes to exhibit the collection in venues around the world including Ghibli Park, which opens November 1, 2022.

Fans can view the unveiling of the Princess Mononoke tapestry on the International City of Tapestry YouTube channel.

Howl’s Moving Castle tapestry (draft) | Aubusson International Tapestry Centre

Artisans working on the Spirited Away tapestry | Aubusson International Tapestry Centre

Princess Mononoke tapestry (draft) | Aubusson International Tapestry Centre

While weaving, the artisans reference a draft, the mirror image of the finished tapestry. “Though we check how it looks in the mirror, my heart always races when I see the final product,” said an artisan.

Director Emmanuel Gérard was delighted to say that the Centre had finally received new young artisans. The city has a history of over five hundred years of traditional tapestry craftmanship. At the end of the 19th century — the city’s golden age of tapestry weaving — over 2000 artisans worked in Aubusson. However, the 1980s and early 2000s saw a decline in skilled craftworkers in the city.

In 2009, UNESCO declared Aubusson’s tapestry craftmanship an expression of Intangible Cultural Heritage. From then on, the city began searching for ways to revitalize its tradition. In 2016, the International Tapestry Centre was founded.

Director Gérard, has kept his eyes on Ghibli due to its high popularity in France, especially among young people. An artisan in her mid-twenties said, “When I learned I would get to weave a scene from my favorite Ghibli movie, I cried.”

Thanks to Aiko Konomi, an artisan originally from Chiba, Japan, the Tapestry Centre established a contract with Studio Ghibli within one year of negotiation. Gérard knew the idea of interpreting Miyazaki’s films through textiles would pique the filmmaker’s interest, but he didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

According to Gérard, ever since its announcement in 2020, inquiries continue with no end in sight regarding exhibition of the project throughout France and abroad. Presently, the Tapestry Centre aims to exhibit in Ghibli Park, which will open on November 1, 2022. In any case, they have invited Miyazaki to Aubusson. “I would like him to feel the tapestries for himself,” said Director Gérard.

Aiko Konomi - Established contact and headed direct negotiation with Studio Ghibli. | Photography by Yuki Tani

Director Emmanuel Gérard - Explains the Princess Mononoke Tapestry prior to its unveiling.

Bibliography:

“もののけ姫が、ナウシカが...ジブリ映画がフランス伝統産業タペストリー再興の救世主に　ジブリパーク展示目指す” 東京新聞 TOKYO Web, 25 Mar. 2022, https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/167728.

French Workshop Turns Ghibli Films into Traditional Tapestries

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