World of Senses
To make with our hands is to awaken the senses—to feel, see, and listen until nature reveals itself within and around us.
World of Senses
THE ATELIER PERIOD
In World of Senses, Sylvie Johnson offers her final meditation in the Atelier Period, turning to Japan—a place and culture that shaped her vision of beauty, humility, and intention long before she set foot there. The series reflects her lifelong reverence for nature, deepened through Japan’s Shinto traditions, where spirit is found in every living thing and beauty emerges in moments of impermanence.
Each textile in World of Senses is conceived as a haiku: brief yet resonant, distilling experience into rhythm and form. Johnson describes her practice as an alphabet of yarns, assembled like letters into syllables, then into words and poetry. In this way, every work becomes both text and textile—a translation of feeling, shaped not only by the artist’s hand and head, but also her heart.
Created in collaboration with Merida Studio’s Fall River workshop, this series marks the culmination of years of shared devotion to craft. Here, handwork is not just technique, but a way of thinking and seeing—what Johnson calls “seeing with mindset,” a deeper mode of perception that expands beyond the eye. The result is a body of limitededition works that embody the spirit of haiku: clarity, humility, and fulfillment, drawn from nature, intention, and care.
REIYA IN SPARROW
For me, Japan has always been a place where beauty and art are ever-present. In some areas, it’s the purpose of human life: to create it, cultivate it, or meditate in front of it. It’s a daily practice of humility and consciousness.
This series is deeply personal and charts my experiences with Japan, its culture, and its people. I would need a whole essay to discuss my affinity and admiration for Japan, but this series is a selection of those moments. Each piece is a haiku; each piece conveys the essence of a moment I had while learning about or experiencing Japanese culture.
johnson
sylvie
CELESTE IN CORAL
The nature of making.
The beauty of silence.
WASHI IN ZEN
At Merida Studio, we believe that textiles are not simply surfaces to walk on or look at—they are expressions of story, spirit, and human connection. Our work begins with the belief that materials have memory, and that the act of making holds emotional resonance. We create to connect: to self, to others, and to the natural world. In practice and experience, we believe that when made with care and intention, textiles can do what words cannot—evoke deep, ineffable feeling in a world starving for something tangible and real.
catherine connolly
Each textile is a haiku , woven from the quiet language of yarn and the senses that guide it.
MOSAIC IN PETAL
The primary setting for these photos is the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden. Shofuso is a traditional Japanese house and garden located in Philadelphia’s West Fairmount Park. Designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura in 1953, it was constructed in Japan using centuriesold techniques and gifted to the United States as part of a cultural exchange following World War II. Originally built for the “House in the Garden” exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the house reflects the shoin-zukuri style of the seventeenth century, emphasizing harmony, simplicity, and craft.
As the setting for the 2025 Atelier series, World of Senses, Shofuso embodies the series’ themes of reverence, ritual, and the quiet beauty of the everyday. Merida Studio gives a special thanks the Shofuso House for their ongoing contributions to the community as well as for their participation in presenting our latest series.
MELD IN PETAL
Based in Fall River, Massachusetts, Merida Studio is an artist workshop, gallery, and residency specializing in textile art. Led by owner and director Catherine Connolly and founded on the principles of savoir-faire, the studio collaborates with contemporary artists to create unique site-specific works. Merida Studio strives to extend the chain of textile art and its rich history by researching natural fibers and engaging the art and design community.
ON THE COVER WINNOW IN CORAL
Photography by Richard Powers
