Repetition and Contingency in Crafts and Design

National Crafts Museum

Finished

Artists

Machiko Ogawa, Shogetsusai Hayashi, Kyohei Fujita, Makoto Komatsu et al.

Focusing on “repetition” and “contingency,” two characteristics of crafts and design, this exhibition presents a selection of works from the National Crafts Museum’s collection.

Forms based on repetition of same movements, sequences of identical patterns, and geometric shapes can be found in all kinds of crafts and designs, both in the West and in the East. In bamboowork and textiles, for example, repetitive action of “braiding and weaving” directly results in the shape and pattern of the work. In the case of tableware, a sense of unity is created by matching the shapes of vessels used for different purposes, and items composed of common parts create a pleasant rhythm for viewers and users.

On the other hand, chance is also a characteristic of crafts, because no two natural materials are alike in terms of grain, knots, and other aspects, and because heating power, temperature, humidity, force, and distortions cannot be completely controlled during the production process. These effects beyond human manipulation often add flavor to works. In industrial design that normally call for uniform mass-production, addition of a texture that seems to have been created by chance can give the product a presence unusual for mass-produced goods.

Enjoy the charm of diverse expressions of crafts and design brought about by repetition and contingency

Schedule

Dec 17 (Tue) 2024-Feb 24 (Mon) 2025