The Imagination of Hayao Miyazaki in Aubusson Tapestry
The Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie has signed an agreement with Studio Ghibli Inc. for the creation of a series of monumental Aubusson tapestries inspired by the great films of the master of Japanese animation, Hayao Miyazaki.
The genesis of the project
In 2019, an agreement was signed between the Cité and Studio Ghibli for the creation of six tapestries based on still images from the films of Hayao Miyazaki, marking the beginning of a new challenge for Aubusson tapestry: adapting the moving images from animated cinema into wool. This second tapestry series continues a long history of artistic exchange and mutual admiration between the craftsmanship of France and Japan.
After the selection of images and their approval by Studio Ghibli, the Cité began the lengthy process of preparing the first tapestry, "Ashitaka Relieves His Demonic Wound," adapted from the film Princess Mononoke, in 2020. For each piece, six to eight months of preparation are required before weaving can begin. The designer-cartoonist Delphine Mangeret is the conductor of this process, coordinating the selection of materials, color dyeing, and the creation of the cartoon for each tapestry.
Following this, the weaving process by the Aubusson workshops takes between eleven and sixteen months before the finished tapestry can be revealed. This relatively long period is explained by the monumental sizes chosen for these works: between 17 and 31.65 m²! These impressive dimensions allow viewers to immerse themselves in the tapestries as though watching a film projected on a large screen.
The works of the series
The project "The Imagination of Hayao Miyazaki in Aubusson Tapestry" involves the creation of a tapestry series (a sequence of tapestries on the same theme) based on 5 scenes from the animated films of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, selected jointly by the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie, Hayao Miyazaki, and Studio Ghibli. The 5 future wall tapestries can be grouped into 4 origins, 4 films by the renowned director: Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
In image
The master of animation
Hayao Miyazaki was born in 1941 in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating with a degree in political science and economics from Gakushuin University in 1963, he joined Toei Animation Company as an animator. He worked under the direction of Isao Takahata on the animation of the film Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968). He then joined the A Production animation studio with Takahata in 1971, where he worked on the script, illustrations, and animation of Panda! Go Panda! (1972). Miyazaki worked for various studios, including Zuiyo Eizo with Takahata, Nippon Animation, and Telecom, and contributed to the creation of illustrations for TV series like Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974) and Marco (1976). He directed his first TV series, Future Boy Conan (1978), followed by his first film as a director, The Castle of Cagliostro (1979).
Hayao Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 with Takahata and directed ten animated films. Spirited Away (2001) broke all box office records in Japan and received numerous awards, including the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2002 and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Howl's Moving Castle (2004) received the Osella Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2004.
Hayao Miyazaki was awarded a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 2005.
He contributed to the scriptwriting of Hiromasa Yonebayashi's film Arrietty, the Secret World of Arrietty (2010) and his son Goro Miyazaki’s film From Up on Poppy Hill (2011). His film The Wind Rises (2013) was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2013 Oscars. In November 2014, he received an Honorary Academy Award for his career.
Ten years after his last film, The Boy and the Heron, released in 2023, received widespread acclaim.
Hayao Miyazaki has published many books, drawings, and poems, including Shuppatsuten 1979-1996 (Starting Point: 1979-1996, 1996). He has also drawn numerous buildings, including those of the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, which opened in 2001, where he serves as executive director.
In 2012, Hayao Miyazaki was honored with the Order of Culture by the Japanese government. In July 2014, he was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.
Currently - Outside the walls
Since 2020, the Cité has embarked on a new woven adventure, "The Imagination of Hayao Miyazaki in Aubusson Tapestry." Through a partnership with Studio Ghibli, six monumental tapestries make up the series, four of which have been completed and, in some cases, already exhibited in Paris, Bordeaux, and Japan.
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Since 2020, the Cité has embarked on a new woven adventure, “The Imaginary World of Hayao Miyazaki in Aubusson Tapestry”, currently on display at “The Contemporary Collection Platform.”
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