Small World

I know the world is small and the glass world even smaller but I never would have imagined that kind of connection between Black Diamond and Japan’s fourth biggest city, Nagoya, where we currently are!

 This year, one of the people who has been working with us at our studio is Miku Beer and how is this for coincidence…Miku’s Aunts Family owns a glass gallery in Nagoya. Upon our return from Aichi University to Nagoya we had a chance to meet Miku’s relatives and to visit their glass gallery.

 The gallery was lovely, and it focused on refined functional vessels, which are highly esteemed and often more valued than paintings or other “fine art” here. As we entered the gallery we were both drawn to several pieces with a burnished metallic finish, when we enquired about the artist, it turned out to be Masahiro’s functional work. Apparently, the texture and finish were creating by enameling them in platinum.

 The gallery owner Nishida- San then invited us out for sushi lunch. The restaurant was beautiful and the sushi like none we have ever tasted. We feel like it is the first time we have really eaten sushi, the fish more or less melted in our mouths.

 The other coincidence of this trip is that when I applied for the RBC award for Glass, I proposed that I would research the Mingei craft movement in Japan, and examine it’s influences on modern craft design. Well, it just so happens that Nishida – San , represents and is also friends with, one of the leading mingei glass artists, Kodani -San and has a collection of his work. Through this connection he has arranged for us to visit this famous Japanese craftsperson in Kurashiki.

 After lunch we were able to view his collection of finely made functional vessels and to talk about the mingei movement , and its influence on contemporary Japanese craft. One thing that surprised me was the idea that many students and practicing Japanese glass artists are uninterested in making one of kind sculptural pieces and prefer to make functional vessels. It seems the mingei notion of the value of well made functional vessels is still influential in Japan, even though the mingei movement occurred almost 100 years ago. As a gallery owner, Nishida –San felt that many collectors in Japan  were interested in small functional pieces as their homes were small and they did not have room for larger sculptural pieces.

As we travel through Japan and spend time with friends, we realized that in the area of hospitality, the Japanese are in a professional league, taking time from their busy schedules to make sure you are comfortable, and creating opportunities to learn about their country and culture.