The theme of this work is "memory".

This piece is made of a material called Urushi (lacquer), which has a characteristic of discoloring when exposed to ultraviolet rays for a long time. One day, I accidentally left a work in progress on a window sill, and the color of the part that was exposed to sunlight was completely different from the part that wasn't.  When I saw it, I felt the memory of the sunlight was imprinted on the piece. That is the origin of this work.

 The lacquer in this piece works the same way as a photosensitive material. The freshly coated white lacquer (candy-colored Urushi mixed with white pigment) is brown, but the areas exposed to ultraviolet light turn white.

On the white lacquered surface, a film of a photograph filled with my memory is printed by the sunlight. These pictures are memorable images from my childhood or scenes I encountered on my travels, which have left a lasting impression on me in my ordinary life.

When I go out wearing this piece, it is further bleached by the sunlight, and the original image gradually fades over years and then finally disappears.

A part of the image is lacquered with gold powder. When the image eventually fades and disappears, only the gold lines remain. This represents the way that only a fragment of an old memory remains, an impressive part of it. I believe everyone has had the experience that only a part of a vague memory remains in their mind forever.

Through this work, I want to express the impermanence of the passing time. And I hope that the wearer of this work will share this concept.

　この作品のテーマは「記憶」です。

　ある日制作途中の作品を窓辺に置き忘れたところ、日光に当たった漆の部分だけが明るく変色してしまったことがありました。その時に感じた、太陽の光という記憶が作品に刷り込まれたような感覚。それがこの作品の原点です。

　この作品の漆は、感光材と同じ働きをします。その性質を利用して、作品表面には私の記憶が詰まった写真が印刷されています。それらの写真は、子供の頃の思い出の写真や旅先で出会った風景などといった、何気ない日常の中の大切な一枚です。その図像の一部には金蒔絵の線描きが施してあります。この作品を身につけて外出すれば、図像は年月を経て徐々に色褪せ、最後には消えてしまうでしょう。そして金の線だけが最後に残ります。記憶の一部だけが漠然といつまでも心に残っているという経験は、誰にでもあるのではないでしょうか。

Urushi, wood,  Japanese paper, pigment, gold powder, brass, silk cord

60 × 60 × 5 mm