Category — Crafts

The 2nd potter I wanted to share was Chikako Kojima, who has been based in nyc since 2005.

Her work has appeared in Café Life New York, as well as in several catalogs from Morozoff, the Japanese maker of chocolate, cake and other confectioneries. She has also shown at galleries in Soho and Tribeca. Kojima also maintains an active blog where she posts scrumptious photos of her work as a vessel for food.

Kojima’s work seeks beauty in texture and surface, a stark contrast to the energy and form that shapes Aoki’s work. What I find so admirable is the lack of arbitrariness. It reclaims the notion that thrilling and beautiful can still emerge out of the realm of the decorative.

Via here and there

Today I wanted to share 2 potters that I recently discovered, both of whom are Japanese. They both create functional pottery yet stylistically they couldn’t be farther apart.

Thirty two-year old potter Ryota Aoki has had a fairly distinguished career so far. His work has appeared twice in the prestigious Takaoka Craft Competition – Bijoux, his 2nd attempt in 2005, won him the top prize. Bijoux went on to win silver at the 4th World Ceramic Biennial in 2007.

What I admire about Aoki’s work is that it possesses a strong energy that enhances the imagination of the user. The sculptural beauty is perhaps the one defining feature that sets Aoki’s work apart from his contemporaries.

Thanks for the tip Masako!

Related:

• Takaoka Crafts Competition 2009
• Birch Sake Bottle | Takaoka Crafts Competition 2008

click images to enlarge

As I mentioned earlier, the 69th Tokyo Gift Show is currently underway. If you are going, also be sure to check out the display booth of Sasaki Kogei, who won the Gift Show eco company of the year award last year. They will be showcasing their latest products which includes this beautiful wooden puzzle of all the 47 prefectures of Japan. They’ve used 10 different kinds of wood to differentiate between the puzzle pieces. I’ve been meaning to brush up on my geography skills….

Another great design also using puzzle pieces are these interlocking picture frames! I think some floor-to-ceiling action using these pieces would be breathtaking.

Related:

• Sasaki Kogei Wooden Toys

Whenever my wife and I go back to Japan we go binge shopping at, well, a number of stores, but one of them is Watashi no Heya. There are only 3 stores in Tokyo and one of them happens to be in Kichijoji. Their not-too-over-the-top Japanese style appeals to me and we always end up accumulating several pieces. However, when we are not able to go back we like to torture ourselves by canoodling with their online catalog. Last night we did just this and found ourselves drooling over their new line of kiddy ceramics, as well as some of their basics.

Looking to pimp your iPhone in 400-year old bling? Maruwakaya has designed an iPhone cover made from Inden, a process dating back to the early edo period when artisans used tanned deerskin to make shoes and pouches. The design, which reorients traditional crafts as an evolving modern technique, was originally showcased during Design Tide ’09 in Tokyo.

They are available in 4 traditional Japanese patterns, and two colors, black or yellow. Black goes for 11,000 yen while yellow is 12,500 yen. The limited editions are being shipped on February 1, 2010 and you have to fill out this form if you want to get in line.

left: Asanoha | right: Takarazukushi

left: Asanoha | right: Takarazukushi

Here is your tid-bit for the day: there is only one man in all of Japan who is an official Inden artisan, with a license from the state. (according to wikipedia)

via voice of kyoto

I realize that “sculptor” may not be the most accurate description of Mitsuru Katsumoto but I dislike the term “multimedia artist” so indulge me in my peculiarities as I attempt to convey my thoughts about the artist. Mitsuru Katsumoto was born 1961 in Shiga Prefecture. Her first exhibition took place at Gallery Eve in 1995 and was aptly titled “Secret Garden.” Since then her work has revolved around the curious and mysterious, often offering sneak peeks into her secretive world of eye-catching details and anachronistic furnishings.

click to enlarge. Courtesy Galleria Graffica Tokyo

clockwise: poster for a field, a home (2007) | living things-flora (2004) | a field, a home (2007)

Katsumoto walks an interesting line between cute and surreal and maintains, I might add, just enough cuteness to remain within the mainstream likings of the Japanese. Furthermore, by including French-Antique charm to the formula she is practically guaranteeing herself a fan-base. That’s not to undermine her work in any way though. There is no doubt in my mind that Katsumoto creates beautiful pieces that keep me coming back to them time after time.

click to enlarge

top: a study in green grass (2002) | all other images part of the “Odd” collection

Her latest exhibition “Odd,” which concluded late last year at the Yukiko Koide gallery, was an ode to some of the more hand-made oddities of her career. I particularly enjoy her vintage postcards – probably the quirkiest of her work.

click to enlarge. Courtesy Mademoiselle Loulou

Finally, here is a sneak peak into 2 of her photo books that she has published. At the top is Study In Green (2008), an intimate exploration into everything from animal fur to boxes, that are, of course, green or dyed green. Below that is One Day (2007), a compilation of Katsumoto’s early work. Both are fascinating meditations on the relationship between art and design.

click to enlarge. Courtesy milebooks

This weekend New York was hit with a bout of cold weather. All the stations were hyping it as the coldest temperatures of the winter so far. We figured, if not now, when do we succumb to the corrupt border-town sheriff, also known as central heating? So we reluctantly flipped on the switch and, as we heard the motor begin to hum, immediately sensed the iron hand descend, securing us from the outside frost for the price of every last penny of moisture.

We have yet to find a humidifier that we like because every crappy one becomes a cesspool of bacteria within days. And all the other ones are either too bulky, too ugly or too expensive. Until today. Meet Mast, an exquisite creation of pure Hinoki (Japanese Cypress), recently designed by Shin Okada and crafted by Masuya Koubou. Known for its high-quality timber, rot-resistant qualities and lemony scent, the thinly sliced Hinoki mast absorbs water from the hull and diffuses it, and its intrinsic aroma, into the room. And it goes without saying, but no electricity needed.  I am willing to bet money that it will look more elegant than the damp washcloth draped over my ceiling fan.

You can purchase it here (Japanese) for 6,300 yen.

My latest post for inhabitots features Rina Ono’s Cowakka, a hancrafted handle perfect for all the small straphangers of the city! Read the post here.

I decided to omit it from the post, but the handle was manufactured by Takahashi Kougei, who also worked with Oji Masanori to create his gorgeous KAMI series of cups.

My dear friend Shun Okubo, a jewelry designer based in Tokyo, has a Christmas display up at the store WALL on the 1st floor of Laforet Harajuku. The shop is known for their their carved-out gallery that showcases the work of up and coming artists and designers.

His jewelry is also on display at the flagship Daikanyama location of the hip boutique FRAPBOIS, as well as the Aoyama and Kyoto locations. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, check it out!

I love his work! Here is a selection of some of my favorites but you can check out his full flickr stream.

(click on the smaller images to enlarge!)

I have a confession to make. I have never been to the West Coast. Not even once. It’s a region (and perhaps a culture) that I’m not familiar with. But when Jaime Di Dio Aoyama, founder of Studio Aiuto and based in the tiny San Diego coastal town of Leucadia, sent me these pictures I suddenly had a strong urge to plan a visit.

Co-founder and in-house designer Seitaku “Tak” Aoyama was raised in Japan but currently works out of Leucadia, where he overlays his own Japanese perspective with the indigenous culture. For his latest project, Tak designed this surfboard that, in his own words, is a celebration of the fact that “life and death coexist…. When I no longer need my body, I will contribute it to nature with the possibility that animals could use my former ‘home’ as their own. They can have a party in there.”