水と山 (Water and Mountain)
I wanted the exhibition at Moshimo in Hayama to feel connected to the local landscape. 水と山 (water and mountain) is not just about the landscape but the juxtaposition of the fluid nature of water and the unmoving nature of the mountain. It was kismet that the opening collaboration with Nippon Viajero fell on Mountain Day. Together we created an all-sensory experience with sustainable modern Mexican cuisine inspired by four featured art pieces. Guests had the opportunity to hear the meaning and process behind the featured work followed by a tasting of creative cuisine from Nippon Viajero. Here are those featured works.
Each upcycled vintage tile is hand etched and inked with the image of a traditional Japanese home in the urban environment. One from Tokyo and one in Hayama, directly behind Moshimo Café and Event Space. I was drawn to these Japanese traditional homes being unmoved as everything seemed to change around them. Each tile is finished and hangs with a rope made of vintage kimono scraps.
An installation of taiyaki fish molded from paper pulp and suspended in plastic droplets. I created a silicone mold from a taiyaki fish I carved in bees’ wax. I pulled the paper from scraps torn off previous art pieces. The paper fish create an ombre from toasted dough to indigo blue. I cut and ironed the plastic droplets from plastic waste I saved over the last year and a half. I wanted to give this one time use plastic a second purpose while also bringing awareness of the shear quantity we consume and leave on this planet. Guests were invited to dismantle the installation, cutting down one of the fish.
A wall hanging of broken bamboo I collected in the sands of Nakatajima along the Pacific Ocean. I slotted, drilled, and lashed the bamboo together in an arrangement like a tapestry returning it to something like the broken fence it came from. Across this recycled surface I painted koi in sumi black ink, aqua ink stick, and white watercolor. The koi cross the outside edges, unrestricted by boundaries.
“Adrift”
Three pieces: terracotta, wood, and stoneware. All were found adrift on Tokyo beaches and smoothed by the ocean like sea glass. I suspended each of these, so they seem to float in little frames against a black sumi stained backboard. On each of these I painted a different boat I photographed in Japan using sumi ink, watercolor, and acrylic. The boats represent how we ride the waves and connect to land on the other side.