—Please share what impressions you had from the onsite tour.
I went around looking at traditional crafts from various areas--Hakata-ori textiles (Fukuoka), Baramon kites (Goto, Nagasaki), Yamaga lanterns (Kumamoto), and Satsuma kiriko cut glass (Kagoshima). The weaving loom I saw at the Hakata-ori workshop was stunningly impressive, and the sight of the Baramon kites flying in the blue sky rising up from the mountaintop was mystical. I was also inspired by the stories I heard from the artists who continue traditions such as Yamaga lanterns and Satsuma kiriko, while at the same time bringing something new to the crafts.
—Please tell us about the artwork you are planning to create.
I plan to use the abstract animation I’ve been working on to create an artwork imagining the development of patterns from each of the traditional crafts. I’ll imbed several monitors in a large mandala and make three-dimensional, animated objects. The piece will be placed in the airport, so my goal is to create public art that will have an impact even when viewed from far away and that looks quite different.
It’ll be the first time I create a three-dimensional object imbedded with video, so I’m excited. I think at the airport many people will be walking by quickly, so I hope to deftly apply the small-scale GIF animation I’m used to working with so I can grab the attention of people in a short time. I hope the setting for the artwork will become an impactful space and a meeting spot in the airport.
