Interview to the artist by Rachelle Gryn Brettler, from our Anniversary Book
For me, material is everything - organic material particularly. I always had an interest in art and in horticulture – growing plants and herbs for a purpose - for cooking or dyeing…
I was born in Nagoya, Japan. It was a pretty carefree upbringing, exploring the fields around my home. Summers were often spent with my father’s family in the beautiful Kiso Valley so it is no surprise that I developed such a love of nature.
Next to my village is the tie-dye village of Arimatsu-Shibori. Whenever I took the train and passed that station, I would see tie-dye material hanging out to dry. I always had craft near me.
I studied horticulture in Hokkaido in northern Japan. After visiting England as a teenager I thought the English garden and English culture were wonderful and I dreamt that someday I would study horticulture in the UK. I came to England to do so at RHS Wisley on an international programme, and a little while later I studied garden design and art in Leeds. To make money I made some cards and sold them in the Leeds Craft Centre. They were a success. I made some larger scale work and I was invited to show at the first Collect in the V&A. That was the start of my career in art.
I try to keep everything as natural as possible. Nature is both my inspiration and my source material. Grass, twigs and leaves are the basis for my work. Some of the plants and ornamental grass, I grow myself. I use hawthorn and beech, and for the bases I source ornamental woods such as mahogany and oak. Fortunately, I live very close to Birkenhead Park which has a wide variety of trees so leaves are plentiful, and all of the hawthorn twigs I harvest from a local farm. From the allotment I use red onion skin to dye some papers, along with avocado skins, lavender and marigold for different colourings.
My aim is to interrupt the natural growing process. If grasses or twigs were just left outside, within months they would be gone. With my works I step in to halt the decay.
When I start a project, I need to experiment with how to construct the final piece. There is enjoyment in finding or growing some new material and using Japanese traditional materials like washi paper, gold leaf, also paper string used for bookbinding and recently some of the material used for sumo wrestlers' hair. On a collaboration with Thurle Wright I found a hundred year old Japanese book in a bookshop in Nagoya - and we each used half of the two part dictionary. I cut mine up into tiny strips and twisted them around the Japanese paper string. I learnt a similar technique for tying bouquets and corsages when I studied flower arranging in Japan. There is something fascinating in finding a new technique to join materials together.
I pick up some skills, like weaving on the internet or even by experimenting. I always want to develop different approaches. I like things not to stay the same.
My inspiration usually comes from nature. A tiny odd-shaped pebble that I spot while walking on the beach can translate into a large twig sculpture. I might see a cloud and think the shape is interesting and I may add an aperture in the middle. I have background memories. I also take inspiration from everyday life - when I go to London, and turn a corner there is something that can inspire me – maybe with crowds or a little sunshine in a narrow alleyway, or the start of a sunset.
A major feature of my work is shadow. Shadows are always moving, it is a form of creating, Natural light moves and gives colour and depth of shadow. Shadow is three dimensional, it changes shape. As the light changes or the point of view is moved, so the shadows will create a new perspective.
The framed works are meticulously planned and plotted beforehand, whereas the twig sculptures start with a basic shape in mind but evolve as the work progresses. When adding more twigs, every twig has an individual character and I need to read what sort of direction or curve it takes. I give a supporting hand to the direction and the shape arrives.