Participation from the 12th of February till the 11th of March 2014
“What do the Dutch people eat? How do they live? What kind of life do they have? I wanted to know that kind of real life”
Ichiro Mori
Ichiro Mori is a contemporary artist and potter from Bizen, whom specializes in baking the traditional ceramic of bizen-yaki. For his stay with Deshima AIR, Mori lent out two of his plates to several households for a week each. He performed a research into the daily experience of using his Bizen-yaki plates. Each and every meal served on his plates was photographed and the participating households would fill out a questionnaire about their experiences
Mori used this in order to research how Dutch people think and feel about Japanese ceramics, how the traditional Japanese crafters could expand their businesses abroad and to explore the idea of a new design based on the Dutch’s daily life. He also would go out into town and visit several exhibitions and incorporated elements of this in his presentation at ‘t Japans Cultuur Centrum.
Bizen-yaki is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Bizen province, presently a part of Okayama prefecture. It is characterized by significant hardness due to high temperature firing, its earthen-like, reddish-brown color, absence of glaze, although it may contain traces of molten ash resembling glaze, and markings resulting from wood-burning kiln firing. The potter can also control the appearance of the vessels by how he arranges them in the kiln. This can result in a wide range of visual styles, depending on how the pieces are placed and how the firing is controlled. However it is not always certain what exact patterns or colours will be created during firing.
“Using the bizen plates gave me a positive experience. The earthen shades of the ceramic are perfect for “green” meals, something that certainly deserves encouragement. Also, I noticed that we were eating with more attention and that we took more time for the moment, and that is something I would like to experience daily. After this experience, I am considering to look for this kind of ceramic that fits our lifestyle.”
Participant in Bizen-yaki research
Website: http://moriichiro.com/