Jan 23, 2021
Nagiso, Nagano Pref. – On the one hand: an ancient Japanese lacquerware technique dating back to the Heian Period (794-1185), famed for its delicate beauty, seasonal motifs and rich heritage. On the other: a 6-year-old girl who finds it hard to sit still and would rather be making “machines” out of twigs, stones and sticky tape.
I admit, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when my youngest daughter came face-to-face with the very refined world of
maki-e during a children’s workshop in a century-old atelier in Nagano Prefecture.
The art of maki-e has long been treasured in Japan. A clue into the craftsmanship that lies behind the lacquerware decoration technique is found in its name which translates as “sprinkled picture.”
rise of i think there was a book called the rise of the analog, which talks about human beings falling in love again with the imperfect. a beautifully tailored suit will now often have a line which is actually quite imperfect. deliberately. to emphasize this is not machine-made. to remind people. my wife is japanese, i go to japan and korea a lot. in those two countries uniquely, they award to usually elderly people who have spent their lives working with wood or ceramics or lacquerware, the title of living national treasure, for which they get pensions and reverence, to say to them, yes, we make precise things, canon and nikon and all the rest, but we have our feet on the ground, we worship bamboo, we worship, as you say, the analog, hand-made watches,
but then robots have to be made as well. maybe we have reached our limits. what does it mean when everything is so precise and sharp. what i m struck of is the rise of the analog, talking about humans falling in love with the a beautifully tailored suit will often have a line which is actually quite imperfect. deliberately to emphasize this is not machine made. to remind people. i mean, i mentioned my wife is japanese. i go to japan and korea a lot. in those two countries uniquely, they award to usually elderly people who have spent their lives working with wood or ceramics or lacquerware the title of living national treasure, which they get pensions and reverence and all the rest of it, to say to them, yes, we make precise things, all these companies we re so famous for, but we have our feet still