2019.12.1

Japanese

DisappearⅣ
Tanabe Chikuunsai Ⅳ
Sawako Kaijima（Geometric design）

It seems easy to say that this is comprised of several fine-cut bamboo strips wrapped around and tied together, but this work of art is not so simple.
This is one of the “Disappear” series unveiled by the fourth generation Tanabe Chikuunsai in 2017. The “Disappear” collection was produced in collaboration with Harvard University Associate Professor Sawako Kaijima, and is a bold new type of bamboo working, using algorithms and 3D printing for a fusion of technology and tradition. It is a helix spiral design, which takes the same repeated geometric patterns and gives them a three-dimensional feeling. This sort of art cannot be produced by simply following old traditional styles. The fourth generation Chikuunsai is a one-of-a-kind artist who has an incomparable energy, who uses long-honored techniques to create revolutionary works of art.

The overall shape is a coil, reminiscent of a conch shell, but given a three-dimensional energy with a helix spiral. You might also envision a coiling snake. What makes this possible is the fine bamboo strips, crafted with care. The strips are not all uniform in size, but each has a subtly different width. As a result, the upper portion has a gently spreading serenity about it, while as you go towards the bottom, the space between the strips narrows, making a solid base.

Each individual bamboo strip twists while forming a circle, resulting in a helix spiral. Furthermore, you can’t tell where they are joined. This piece generates a complex, yet simple impression. Certainly, such a work of art would not be possible without the fusion of tradition and technology.

The piece shows you wholly different face depending on your viewing angle. How should I look at it? Where should I place it? How should I position it? One could say that it possesses a certain freedom from such hard concepts as, “This is how it should be.”