︎︎︎Fables of water and stone
A site specific project developed in Yunotsu, Shimane prefecture (JP) as part of the residency programme AKIYA AIR, powered by Mujun Planet and MONO Japan Foundation.
The project has been realized in collaboration with the traditional roof tile manufacture Kamedani and thanks to the support of CBK Rotterdam and Mondriaan Fonds.
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In Shimane the time keeps shrinking and stretching with the most incredible choreographies, constantly framing stunning nature, inspiring encounters, delicious dishes and sparkling chats.
As soon as arrived, we had the opportunity to be marvelled by some of the craftspeople of the area working with diverse materials, such as wood, textile, paper, metal and clay, who sprinkled us with glimpses of their abilities and passions as well as social engagement within the context of Yunotsu and its creative scene.
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Visiting the roof tile company Kamedani, I was captured by the charm of the manufacture, where artisans extrude and press and carve and sculpt bright yellow clay around big rooms, crowded with bulky machinery, while wavy tiles float around, carried by a clunky rail, which makes you bow and dodge, warning you with a rhythmic rusty sound.
The manufacturer keeps alive a family tradition of over 300 years old, firing tiles at 1350°C for over 22 hours using a mix of eight clays sourced locally. These tiles are called Sekishu kawara, rust tiles, due to the distinctive red, colouring of the roofs of Shimane prefecture. This colour is given by the glaze, composed of Kimachi stone and water alone, which fired at high-temperature shows a flirty metallic gloss, symbol of extreme resistance.
The Kamedani family very generously allowed me to squat their showroom and play with their tiles so that Fables of water and stone started to take shape.
(fun fact: there can be up to 32 different tile designs composing a traditional Japanese rooftop)
Images below by the magnificent Maan Limburg
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The process sees the combination of technical traditional knowledge with landscape mapping and first-hand impressions in the context of the Shimane prefecture. During the first weeks, the exploration of Yunotsu and its surroundings was led by spontaneous unpredictability, following that cute car taking a left turn, the directions I nodded at but already forgot and the road which looked the most intricate to walk through. The landscape started presenting itself with the recurring pattern of bodies of water, rolling through glimpses of willful nature, intertwined with human well-behaved but sometimes forgotten traces. After filling my folders with coordinates, sounds and images of ripples, splashes, dribbles and gurgles, a selection of them has been moulded and carved on the roof tiles, curled up by a fictional layer and becoming a threshold for discovery and wonder.
Each sculptural tile records a geographic location as well as a memory and a trace, echoing both the dense nature distinctive of Shimane as much as the numerous akiya, abandoned houses, frequent in the area, inside which shadows of life stay vivid to the ones that look inside. The project then unfolds by installing the tiles on three roofs of interest, where Fables of water and stones will become part of the treasure hunt-inspired game which is Geocaching, meant as playful activation and catalyser of collective experience for co-narration for the community and the visitors.
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