Under the theme of Create Linkage, this project, calls for the “creation of connections through jewelry.” The first step in the linkage process is to create horizontal connections through encounters between the client and the people in the town or store. Then, if the client comes to us with a request to make a pendant out of a ring that was a memento of his grandmother’s, for example, we will discover vertical linkages. It is a linkage of people who wish for a better life and a better society.

Activities

This project aims to rediscover and re-create jewelry, the most familiar creation to human beings. We will visit specialty stores and craftsmen in Okachimachi and Sotokanda to learn about the diversity of precious metals and gemstones. We will take old trinkets that have been lying dormant at home and transform them into contemporary accessories. Incorporating ideas from professionals and their assistants and via related cultural courses participants themselves will act, learn, and enjoy the project. The activities will progress in stages from spring to fall of 2023 and will be exhibited and presented at the Tokyo Biennale 2023.

Schedule

Kazuko Koike (creative director), Aki Ichiriki (tutor）, Satoshi Iwama (coordinator), Tokito Sugiura (assistant director), Kazuyuki Hashimoto (project partner), Sunao Maruyama (project partner), Ryosuke Imamura, Madoka Goto, Taehyun Park, Nemuri Fukushima, Hikaru Yamamoto (the Department of Design, Tokyo University of the Arts)