漆は木の樹液で、木の傷口を塞いで守る役割を果たします。
その性質を利用して、古くから天然の接着剤や塗料として、日本では主に箱やお椀などの器物に用いられてきました。
私はこの漆という素材を造形表現に用い、制作を行ってきました。
木や繊維、金属など様々な素材が支持体として用いられる中で、木を選択しています。
木と漆のシンプルな関係性や、また、木を彫って形づくることで手の痕跡を残すことが出来る点が、木を用いている理由です。
それ自体では決まった形をもたない漆が、木と合わさることで形を得て、また、木は漆に包まれ、守られます。
作品制作においても、これらの素材の関係性に着目しています。
漆を塗る度に表情を変え、木が包み込まれていく様子に心地よさを覚えます。
また、漆を塗る・研ぐという単純な行為の繰り返しの中で、自分でも意図しない形態が現れます。
偶然性を拾いながら、意識と無意識のあいだを行き来するような感覚があります。
私はこのことに人間らしさを感じています。
直感的・体感的に人の心を満たす作品を制作したいと考えています。
I produce artworks made of wood and lacquer. I first came in contact with lacquer after I entered Crafts Department at Kanazawa College of Art. The process from the base to coating felt extremely long at first, but I eventually started feeling very comfortable "growing" the artwork with every process. I have continued producing artwork ever since, hoping to form this feeling into shape.
In process, I first carve wood as the "body," and then add lacquer to it. There are several materials used for the "body," such as wood, cloth, Japanese traditional paper, metal, etc. Of them, I chose to use wood because wood and lacquer go very well together. This may naturally be so because lacquer is originally made of tree sap. I also chose wood because it shapes however I shape it. I am hoping to make form of an artwork without any force, but as a natural result.
Lacquer is tree sap, used to protect scratches or chips on trees, therefore has long been used on mainly boxes and dishes in Japan as a natural glue or paint.
In my artworks, I focus on the relationships between materials. Lacquer forms shape for the first time when combined with wood, and wood is also protected by lacquer. I feel very comfortable as wood changes its expression every time lacquer is coated. Also, in this simple continuous process of applying lacquer and polishing, sometimes an unexpected shape appears. It makes it feel very humanlike, when I pick up this contingency, a feeling of going back and forth between consciousness and subconsciousness.
I hope to present lacquer, this traditional material, as one of the humans of modern time. Also, I produce my artworks taking aim in intuitively and physically impressing people's hearts.
