Radiance of Nature with Urushi
Urushi lacquer is produced from natural sap sustainably harvested in Japan. Unfortunately, the traditional craft of Urushi is in decline due to the emergence of alternative materials.
This project aims to revitalise this craft and create a space that connects us with nature.
Unlike the West, where people remove shadows from their space, the Japanese embrace shadows aesthetically as a part of beauty.
Urushi has qualities that reflect even the smallest light. Through the arrangement of tree-like shapes, the play of light and shadows can immerse us in a microcosmic space reminiscent of nature.
Yu Watanabe & Takahiko Sato (Urushi artisan) & Sayaka Lepron(Urushi artisan) & Hiroaki Nakagawa(bamboo artisan)
After studying Graphic design for my BA, I worked as an Art Director at an advertising agency. Through various projects, I became interested in the relationship between creativity and social issues such as environmental problems and climate change. I consequently enrolled in the MA Material Futures at Central Saint Martins.
My research focuses on how design can function to address increasingly complex social issues through colliding different perspectives, materials, technology and science. While utilising the ability to communicate effectively through advertising, I have been exploring how design can function in various aspects, not only in graphics, but also through materials, products and other areas.
I contribute to people, culture, nature and the earth by discovering the value of things from both a future perspective and a problem-solving mindset, and by appropriately converting and communicating these solutions to society and the world.
Credits
Client: -
Manufacturer: -
Brand: -
Designer: Yu Watanabe & Takahiko Sato (Urushi artisan) & Sayaka Lepron (Urushi artisan) & Hiroaki Nakagawa (bamboo artisan)
Supervising Professor/ Tutor: Kieren Jones
Country: Japan
Photographs: © Shinji Yagi, Yoshihiro Ozaki, Yu Watanabe
