Subtle Intimacy
This work explores how experiencing reverse culture shock led me to discover subtle intimacy in my home. After spending nearly five years in the United States, all five of my senses had changed and adapted, especially the sense of space. I returned to Japan in 2012 and struggled with how I could fit into Japanese culture as a Japanese person again. I decided to use this project as a meditation to rediscover the residue of who I am. While I was collecting and preserving the original flora as part of my effort to connect myself to the local spirit of the tiny island, I used the process of collecting plants to reawaken my senses as a Japanese person. Whether I was by myself or with local residents, the gathering walks played a vital role in rousing my memories and readjusting my five senses during this project.
Step out of the sun and into the private recesses of an old folk house, and in one corner you will spot glowing flora on display. This work explores the ways we conserve the sense of the familiar in unknown space. The fused glass illuminates plant species from this tiny Japanese island. I then fired them in the kiln to retain and preserve the original shape and essence. The organic matter incinerated, the minerals left behind white ash, and the moisture contained within each plant remained as air bubbles trapped between the sheets of glass.
-Exhibition venue: Awashima (JP)
-Collection: Usaginonedoko (JP)