You are invited to submit works to the online exhibition for Garland #13. The issue as a whole, Ikiteiru kōgei (living craft), will include stories about ways of crafting that enhance our appreciation of life, particularly in the flows and energies of the natural world.
One remarkable feature of Japanese culture is the reverence for objects. We see this is in the tea ceremony that involves careful handling and appreciation of all its material components.
There is a genre of Japanese folktales about objects that acquire a life of their own. According to the myth of tsukumogami, objects can transform into creatures after they’ve been in continual use for 100 years.
The Japanese attitude towards objects contrasts with a consumerism that fetishises the new, where objects begin to lose value immediately after purchase.
But many involved in craft know that some of the most trusted tools have a timeless value. This online exhibition is a space to explore “the stories behind what we make” by acknowledging the lifelong contribution made by those favourite tools we could not make without.
You are invited to submit two images by 14 December 2018. One is of a finished object and the other is of a tool that helped in its creation which you have been using for a long time. Please include a biography of this tool. You are welcome to submit a video of its use. You can submit the work here.
Image Tsukumogami from Hyakki Yako Emaki.
