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26.3.11

North Berwick

Today, it was a refreshing day with my classmates.
I have not travelled much in Scotland, so it was a great discovery for me.

North Berwick is located to the east of Edinburgh.
It was a really nice view from a train.



This is my favorite island from the beach, the Bass Rock. It is beautiful.


There were so many different stones and rocks there.
Can you imagine how long they have spent time there, at the same place?
Under the sky, they are always sitting there, just still and quiet.
I cannot stop thinking how nature is great, and we are just a part of it.

22.3.11

my dissertation done!

I have handed in my dissertation today.
It has been a quite long way and I did not want to read it anymore,
even though I had to check its contents....
However, it is a really nice feeling to see it bound.
Now it is off my hands!! I will say to me "well done!"




and recent new stuff...



18.3.11

my home, Japan.

It has been a week after the devastating earth quake stoke
my country, Japan.
The damages have been revealed gradually, and I am stunned by news everyday.

Japan has numerous disasters.
There are the season, beautiful nature, delicious food,
and wonderful people.
However, those attractions of Japan have been created under the severe circumstances surrounded the island of Japan.

Every year, Japan encounters and fights against many disasters: floods, typhoons, earthquakes, Tsunami, and volcanos.
We Japanese still live in there, and have never left the country.

We have prepared for disasters, investigated the natural forces and developed new technologies to protect us.
As far as we cannot control the natural forces, we are often overwhelmed by nature and cannot handle it at all.
It is not such a easy story that we could move to other countries because we are suffered by disasters. This is the patriotism and also this reminds me of such a wonderful word: our mother country.

Our life is tough: well-disciplined manners, hard-working and cooperativeness. Moreover, the changes of the seasons are severe and disasters attack us.

Still,for me, Japan is a place to go back; it is my home.
I appreciate my family to give a birth and I am proud of Japanese.

I have a possibility to encounter a disaster in the future.
We Japanese always face natural forces which we never perfectly prepared for, even though we prepare enough.
We always live with and face fears of disasters which are hard to predict.


After the world war, Japan has been rapidly rehabilitated and now become one of leading countries.
Although it has been in recent economic recession, most of people have affluent lives which are far from poverty.
I assume we have lost something important in this convenient society.
Today, many thing such as water, power, information, and even human relationships can be controlled by pressing buttons: on or off.
We have lost the senses or ideas of making, creating, and getting with sweat and slave, and also kind considerations for others.
We have lost them in the last 50 years, which were existed in our grandparents' generation.

This catastrophic earthquake has taught us how our modern society is easily collapsed by the natural forces and how we rely on complicated systems which we do not understand well. We cannot get things after disasters which we could get too easily before.

I feel furies at this earthquake which take numerous people's lives.
I have never satisfied myself by taking my anger out on this earthquake which makes my country totally confused.
However, this earthquake has taught us that it is the time to rethink our lives and our values.

After the war, people were poor but they smiled, and they had hopes.
Today, people are busy, feel lonely, and lack warmth.
However, in order to support this catastrophe, Japanese in Japan, and Japanese in overseas, they unite against a crisis together.
They all work and study hard to rebuild Japan and support future Japan.
I am moved by their enthusiasm.
We Japanese have never gave up in adversity at any moment in our history.

I support Japan and I am a Japanese, whatever happens to Japan.
And also we really appreciate lots of heartwarming supports from many countries. Thank you, thank you so much.


I have been doing a fundraising at my college.
Thank you for everybody's warm messages and donations.

---------------
地震が発生してから1週間。
徐々に被害状況が明らかになり、ニュースにショックを受ける毎日が続く。

災害大国日本。
日本には四季があり、美しい自然があり、おいしい食べ物があり、すばらしい人々が住む。
しかし、この日本の魅力は、日本が置かれた厳しい環境のもとで生まれているように思う。

毎年毎年、日本はたくさんの災害と闘う。大雨による災害、台風、地震、津波、火山。
それでも私たちは日本を去ることはない。


私たちは、常に災害に備え、自然の力を研究し、新しい技術を開発しているが、
やはり自然をコントロールすることができない以上、自然の計り知れない破壊力に
圧倒され、全く太刀打ちできないことが多くある。
災害が多いから、他国に移住すればいいというような簡単な考えで片付けられないのが
愛国心であると思う。そして母国とは本当に素敵な言葉だ。




日本での生活はタフだ。規律は厳しく、懸命に働き、協調性を求められる。
その上、四季の変化は厳しく、災害にも見舞われる。


それでも、私の帰るところは日本であって、
私を生んでくれた家族に感謝し、日本人に生まれたことを誇りに思う。

将来、私が災害に遭うことがないとは言い切れない。
私たちは、十分に準備しても、決して完璧に対応できない自然の力と常に向き合っている。
いつ襲ってくるかも分からない恐怖と常に向かい合っている。


日本は戦後、急速に復興を遂げて、今では世界をリードする国となった。
経済が停滞していると言っても、貧困とは程遠い、豊かな暮らしをする人が殆どだ。
今この便利すぎる世の中に暮らす私たちは、大切なものを忘れている気がする。
水、電気、情報、時には人間関係まで、全てが簡単にスイッチやボタンで解決されてしまう。
自分で汗水たらして作り出すこと、得ること、他人を思いやる気持ち、
そんなことを忘れてしまったように思う。
祖父母の時代にはあった物が、この50年ほどのうちに薄れてしまった。

大きな災害で、いかに現代社会がもろいか、いかに私たちが、よくわかってもいない
複雑な仕組みに頼って生きていたかが思い知らされる。簡単に手に入った物が、入らない。

この大地震が奪った人々の命には憤りを感じる。何もかも狂わせたこの地震に怒りを
ぶつけても足りない。
しかし、この地震が教えてくれた。今こそ、自分達の生活、価値観を見直すときではないか、と。
戦後、貧しい中でも、人々の中に笑顔があって、希望があった。
今は、不自由ない生活の中で、人々の生活は忙しく、孤独を感じている。殺伐としている。
しかし、この大震災で、日本にいる日本人、海外に住む日本人も一つになって
日本を支えている。日本を復興するために、そしてこれからの日本を支えるために
一生懸命働き、勉強し、支えている。その力に本当に心が温まる。
私たちはいつの時代も、逆境に負けず、立ち上がって来た。

何があっても私は日本人であり、日本を支える。
そしてこの震災で日本を支えてくださっている各国のみなさん、本当にありがとう。


今、学校で、募金活動を始めました。毎日温かい励ましのお言葉に感謝しています。

keep on making new works

This is my view on my bench.
I have been looking at this view for about 10 hours everyday.
It seems it is not comfortable to spend most of the time here.
It is very nice on a sunny day, I can see a great view of Edinburgh,
but at the same time, it is really chilly at night and winter days.
I can concentrate most and lots of stuff has been created here.


Those are some new ideas I have been developing this month.






12.3.11

pray for Japan...

A big earthquake stroke Japan.
I cannot describe my feeling, just empty in front of the images on TV.
Again, I have realized how much I love my country and miss my country.
I love so much my country, nature and people.
It is really far away here from Japan, but I can still pray for them.
Please, Please do not damage Japan any more. Everybody, please be safe.


'The Stairwell Project' by Richard Wright

9.3.11

trying them on


When I just explore my idea into jewellery, some sort of 3D objects,
I often ignore how they feel in putting them on body.
I am not making just objects, so they have to be put on a body somehow....
Today, I was trying on my earrings which were made from some spare pieces.
It is not heavy and has good sounds. This is also one of my practices.
Also I am glad many people like them, 
but those are not going to be on my degree show though. 





and, spring is nearly there.
The sun is brighter and the sky is higher.
I am really waiting for summer!


8.3.11

finishing or not finihsing....

I suppose it is the right time to finish some of my works, but....

Some of them cannot be finished
because I still need to add more pieces.......

Some of them cannot be finished because
I am not sure my design will work on body.....

Some of them cannot be finished
because I might change some of the parts later.....

Some of them cannot be finished
because I am not sure about my design, balance, colours........

Those are not my excuses...This is my big issues now.
I need to struggle with them, yes, they are my great practice.

2.3.11

late working in the studio...

I am wondering, wondering, wondering, wondering and wondering many things
today in my studio and on the way home, about my design, future,
and myself.... I am not stressful, just on a big wave of concerns.

Then my lovely classmate gave me a chocolate!
This is my first creme egg in my entire life, it is really tasty, thanks!
You know, how much one tasty food makes my concerns trivial matters.

I am not avoiding to face the matters,
but just for a while, being away from them.

Things have always starts and ends, and always come together with concerns.
Concerns seem bigger at the beginning and the ending, and never disappear.
I love concerns and happenings, because they enrich my life,
also I love to enjoy them with my lovely friends.
Am I doing here? not enough??