Participation from the 12th of February till the 11th of March 2014
Ichiro Mori is a contemporary artist and potter from Bizen, who specializes in baking the traditional ceramic of bizen-yaki.
Bizen-yaki
Bizen-yaki is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Bizen, 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.
Plan before participating
“I wanted to do research on the food culture of the Netherlands. “What do people in the Netherlands eat? Where and how do they live? What kind of life do the dutch have?” I wanted to know that kind of real life. Furthermore, I was interested in how they feel when actually using Bizenyaku.”
My process during participation
“So, I lent out my plates to various people of various age groups for a week. I did a questionnaire about their experiences during that period and had them take pictures of their meals on the Bizenyaku plates. During the project, I was able to meet with experienced people, interview them and listen to impressions. Also, during the project, based on the improvement points that came out in the questionnaire, I thought that I wanted to think more about the product of the vessel and also interviewed sigrid’s friends; a product designer and an architect, and toured the town and did research for the work.
Through various Dutch events and exhibitions I saw while I was staying, I rethought about various things from scratch, how reconstructing the combination would be interesting. In addition, because there was an element of the play there and felt fun for such way to thrill the people who watched it. For the presentation, I had asked Minna (cook) and Yutaka musician to cooperate, and to provide me with dishes to serve on the plates and make it a fun place/time for the participants to enjoy.”
After the project participation
“Thanks to joining the project, my passion to see my work in the Netherlands grew. As a result of this, I decided to participate in the first Monojapan. After participating in Deshima AIR I went to retransAS, where I doubled as a researcher and I decided to participate in the project in anticipation of Monojapan.
Also, even earthenware such as Bizenyaki need arranging, but I got to receive the possibility of grasping the feeling overseas as well and the feeling of wanting to introducing them overseas increased and I was able to plan and realize an exhibition in England.
Currently, I am doing several activities in order of creating a place where various people can accept in my home town. Through activities such as linking the local Bizen region with overseas, we are rethinking the current way of being in the area.”
“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
Please visit his website: http://moriichiro.com/