Established in 2019, PERSPECTIVE explores the affect natural resources have on craft, and how craft has changed the landscape. All our work is underpinned by a deep awareness of nature as the foundation of all culture.
The old Chinese character 藝 for craft contains a pictogram of a
person carefully offering up a sapling to plant. This inspired our concept of the Forest of Craft as a way to encapsulate the meaning and ideal attitude of people continuing to make things in relation to nature. We manage a forest of materials for craft, planting and nurturing lacquer and mulberry trees, which in addition to future harvest, play a role in opening the wisdom of the forest to the public as a field for learning.
We run educational projects and project-in-residence programs to reconnect nature and human production activities as well as operating Fab Village Keihoku, an open workshop where visitors can encounter craftsmanship, local natural materials, and learn about the connection with the environment through making, thereby contributing to the cycling of natural resources in the region in a small way.
Holding craft up as a mirror reflecting Japanese society, values, and consciousness, Sachiko organizes educational programs and tours. She also serves as a joint researcher at the Innovation Center of Kyoto Seika University and a specially- appointed researcher at Kyoto Institute of Technology, where she is involved in research and surveys to unravel the connections between craftsmanship, ecosystems, and life. She is in charge of overall supervision of this program.
Tsutsumi Asakichi Urushi is a urushi refiner in Kyoto with more than 100 years of history. When Takuya took up his role in the familiy business he became aware of the precarious state of the urushi industry and decided to take action: exploring new applications for urushi such as surfboards and bikes as well as engaging in educational outreach with the aim of bringing urushi to a wider audience.
In the process of building a more sustainable ecosystem for craft we have accumulated a range of valuable resources for education and craft. From our shared forest to our woodworking space.
