About

Tsuya-Tsuya! Pika-Pika! Boko-boko! Zara-Zara! Japanese is full of onomatopoetic words that can express the look and feel of craft objects: shiny, sparkling, bumpy, rough. Those vivid terms spring to mind when we look at crafts.

In this exhibition, we use onomatopoeia in an attempt to convey the material feeling, the texture of crafts. We tend to think of crafts in terms of color, shape, history, and region. The pursuit of the desired materiality, to achieve works pleasing to the eye and the touch, is, however, a critical element in what we hope for in the crafts. The material feel of a piece is an element that suits the environment and personal preferences—the ability to overcome heat or cold, to be firm and solid or more flexible. But because there are so many factors to consider, the feel of the material is difficult to quantify. When we try to measure those qualities, individual psychology and circumstances can produce totally different results.

Here, then, we would like to shift our focus to onomatopoeia in responding to craft works. At first glance, onomatopoetic words may seem to be childish and inconsequential. In the resonances and rhythms of these words, and often in their origins, however, we directly grasp the essence of craft works. There is no denying that those words express perceptions that are extremely personal. But that is precisely why through them we can grasp, in a multifaceted way, the wealth of information perceived through the material feel of a work.

For this exhibition our six galleries are thematically divided into the Tsuya-Tsuya! (Glossy), Pika-Pika! (Sparkly), Suke-Suke! (See-Through), Boko-Boko, Gotsu-Gotsu! (Lumpy, Rugged), Zara-Zara, Sara-Sara! (Rough, Smooth), and Darari, Jiwari, Sube-Sube! (Limp, Oozy, Satiny) rooms. In the first three, the focus is the relationship to light. In the last three, we shift to processes involving texture and the formation of patterns. As we murmur these rhythmical words, we awaken to the endless fascination of the material qualities of craft objects. Using our self guides for both children and adults, search for works that combine elements. Are some both Sube-Sube and Tsuya-Tsuya or Pika-Pika and Boko-Boko? The possibilities are almost limitless!