Gospel Threads

2025.7.9 ~ I am writing this from the bullet train on the way to Nagoya, where we will be presenting a group exhibition at a Christian art gallery. It is a collaboration between three of the Community Arts Tokyo interns. Rebecca is presenting her book, newly translated into Japanese. Vanessa is presenting her artwork, featuring sounds from the Tokyo Trains. I will be presenting Women of the Word, a group of dances about Women in the Bible. We have chosen to call the exhibition Gospel Threads, as we are all very different artists, yet the gospel runs through our artwork like a common thread, tying us together - as it also connects God's people around the world.

Black and Gold Dress - for Ruth

I carry with me several very special costumes. Because costumes are also a form of artwork, I wanted to share a more in depth story about these works. The first piece is a beautiful black and gold dress. A Japanese designer made it from a piece of his grandmother's kimono (see photo above: designed by Kei Yamagami for Sound of Cloth).

To me, this piece is both beautiful and a little sad. It is a work that reminds me of Ruth. It is traditional, yet not quite of the culture in which it resides. Taken from a kimono, it still holds some traits of a kimono to my western eyes. However, for a Japanese person, it may seem more foreign than alike. Living as a foreigner in Japan, I can understand some of what Ruth may have experienced as she followed Naomi and laid down roots in a land far from home.The colors are dark and dignified, representing the death that Ruth experienced at the beginning of her story in the Bible. Their simplicity hints at something deeper, or a depth acquired through times of pain and suffering. Finally, the gold reminds me of kintsugi, a Japanese art form that takes something broken and seals it with gold, making it worth far more because it had been broken.

The second costume from this designer is a dress made from green silk. I love how it is feminine and yet the color is very striking. To me, it represents the dignity and beauty of Rahab, who lived in the city of Jericho before she was saved by her faith in God.

Nyō - for Rahab

緑色の服のデザイン

Nyō – As It Is

The lines of lily petals are arranged along the hem.

But do we truly observe the shape of each individual petal in our daily lives?

I cannot fully see them—

just as I cannot live being constantly aware of every single person I encounter.

And yet, as if cherishing a fleeting moment,

as if gazing at a bouquet given to me and savoring its presence,

I have placed this shape upon the human form.

Just as God has given us this world to inhabit.

This fabric is not contemporary.

It is a design by Masao Mizuno, who once traveled to France and sought to express the beauty of Japan through Western clothing.

While some things fade with time, others do not.

We use this fabric with the hope of redesigning and passing on what should not be lost.

Wafuku, or traditional Japanese clothing, has become increasingly difficult to wear in today’s hot climate.

This piece was designed as a dress—easier to wear,

yet still holding close to the form and spirit of kimono.

- Yamagami Kei

The final two are borrowed from Magic City Performing Arts in Birmingham, AL:

To represent Mary, colors of blue and white.

To represent the woman with an issue of blood, plain colors with lovely yellow embroidered design.

Wearing these designs not only deepened my relationship with members at my church in Tokyo, but it also opened up a lot of conversations with Japanese people who came to the performances. They might not know the stories of these women in the Bible, but their fascination with the designs allowed me to share the stories and inspiration surrounding them.

When pursuing beauty for Christ, even the threads we wear are an opportunity to communicate a meaning, to share the work of another artist, and to point to the church's unique oneness in Christ. To me, every detail of a performance is equally as important - from the music, to the dress, to the seating arrangement of the audience, to the movements on stage. What a blessing it was to share this dance for the first time at Gallery Nani in Nagoya in these beautiful and thoughtful designs.

Photography: Rebecca Robinson