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The workshop at Temasek Polytechnic was the second event held in conjunction as part of “Beauty of Kogei: Art Crafts in Japan” exhibition. At nine o’clock in the morning, Temasek Polytechnic students from various fields of design filed into the lecture hall for the lecture by ceramics artist Mr Iwao Shinno and a lecture and demonstration by bamboo artist Mr Shochiku Tanabe.
Mr Shinno gave students an informative look into the world of ceramics. Mr Shinno mentioned to the students that the origins of his family name came from China. His works in porcelain developed from the interest that he had with the blue and white patterns of traditional Chinese porcelain.
MrShinno introduced the students to ceramics and shared pictures of his hometown, Otsu city in Shiga prefecture. Students were also surprised to learn of the techniques involved in making objects from ceramics. Many were also captivated by the photographs of Mr Shinno’s past works and marveled at the intricate details and the various blends of colours that Mr Shinno uses.
Following Mr Shinno’s lecture, Mr Tanabe also gave a short presentation about bamboo and touched on his family history as well. The presentation also provided information about the different places where bamboo are cultivated and grown. The Tanabe family has been involved with bamboo art for over a hundred years, with Mr Tanabe being the fourth generation to continue the art. Mr Tanabe explained some of the works that he had done for past exhibitions as well as the different types of bamboo and their differences. Passing around various samples of different types of bamboo, Mr Tanabe encouraged the students to feel the bamboo and observe the differences in colour, type and texture.
After the presentation Mr Tanabe did a live demonstration on bamboo cutting and weaving techniques. He elicited expressions of awe when he cut a long bamboo pole in half, right in front of the students. The students were also surprised to hear that bamboo cutting techniques are the first things that apprentices learn upon being introduced to the art. According to Mr Tanabe it takes three years of constant bamboo cutting practice, to be able to accurately cut and size bamboo strips for weaving. An apprentice has to cut bamboo every working day to get acquainted with the feel of the bamboo. “After 3 years of consistent cutting of bamboo, you can do it with your eyes closed!” Mr Tanabe exclaims.
To end off his demonstration, Mr Tanabe showed students one of the basic art pieces that one can make out of bamboo, a flower basket. Students found themselves entranced at the live demonstration of skill by Mr Tanabe and the short time that it took for him to create a flower basket. Many of the students rushed to both Mr Shinno and Mr Tanabe after the lectures and demonstration to ask more questions and express their great interest in both ceramics and bamboo.
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