“Ode to Craft”

「藝術家的內心住著兩種人，一個是詩人，一個是工匠。詩人是與生俱來，工匠是後天培養的。」 —— 摘自埃米爾‧左拉寫給塞尚的信（1860年4月16日） 

2017年春夏季號，我們歌頌手工造物之美，也審視匠人們如何以嫻熟的手藝、樸質的心，引來一種心手合一的境界。

Highlighted stories:

1. The Artisans

來自日本的四位匠人 —— 陶藝家明主航、草木染家野村春花、木工藝家小塚晉哉、金工藝家金森正起。在對談中各人分享如何以一雙巧手，從無到有，錘鍊出他們獨一無二的手藝觀園，並從中反照出各人對工藝的愛和熱枕。 

「他們張開雙手，有的傷痕累累，有的嬌嫰如玉，時而溫柔，時而剛勁，一搓一捏，一敲一削，以花草、以金木火土，造出他們的宇宙，交匯我們的生活。」 

2. Weaving Harmony Beyond Time 

一趟令人悸動的旅程，我們縱走在台灣花蓮縣的輪傘草田，以及工藝設計品牌Kamaro’an的工作室，認識到所有優異設計之背後，往往需要良多的協調，舉凡如時代更迭、民族特性、自然環境與社會背景等等因素。

「因為工藝的感覺不一定執著於『手工』、還是『機器生產』，而更像是把東西做得最好的精神，平常幫我們編織的阿姨，也是編得非常用心，想把東西做得最好。」 —— Kamaro’an設計師張雲帆

3. Beyond Control

與台灣玻璃工藝家林靖蓉促膝長談，從中領悟，吹玻璃時不可預期之效果自是耽美，然而她以工藝所顯現的人生哲學，卻同樣地叫人讚嘆不已。

「我們平常很少有機會跟自己的內心對話，但透過玻璃、透過創作、透過雙手在動的時候，我可以完完整整地把內心的思緒全部掏出來。」 —— 林靖蓉

4. The Cape Reimagined

本年初Burberry在匠人之屋的伸展台上，展示出他們的「二月系列」。緊接著的謝幕環節上，品牌無預期地釋出了78件披肩設計，均發想自已故藝術家Henry Moore的生平與作品。我們從中挑選出四個設計，彰顯出Burberry如何透過這次的披肩系列，以模糊掉時裝與藝術之界線，並賦予披肩於當下的全新意義。

「生命的奧秘在於擁有一個任務，那個任務會令你畢生投入、會令你投注，生命中每分鐘都投注進去。而最關緊要的是，它一定是你不能臻到的任務。」 —— 亨利‧摩爾

5. The Sower

與來自日本的紡織藝術家早川由美深度訪談，見證她的一雙手不僅能做出美麗服飾、翻土種菜，和烹調一頓美饌；在同時間，她以同一雙手築起一套自足的生活態度，也築起了她最重視的家庭。

「內衣褲那種東西，手造的話穿脫會很麻煩，為了解決這問題，母親會裝上鈕扣。怕穿反了，就在衣服後方釘個記號，又或在右邊加個袋子等。因為是自己造的，可以造出完全適合自己的衣服。不管是造衣服或是種食物，有沒有愛，是有很大差別的。」 —— 早川由美

封面攝影：Ron Lam
印刷細目：140頁、無線膠黏裝訂、白綿布書脊、全彩。
香港印刷

“Ode to Craft”

“There are two men inside the artist, the poet and the craftsman. One is born a poet. One becomes a craftsman.”

― Émile Zola, Letter to Paul Cézanne (16 April 1860) 

This Spring & Summer 2017 edition celebrates the act of handcrafting and the beautiful connection between the heart and work of a craftsman.

Highlighted stories:

1. The Artisans –  Four crafters from Japan – Wataru Myousyu, the potter; Haruka Nomura, the practitioner of natural dying; Shinya Kotsuka, the carpenter; and Masaki Kanamori, the metalworker – shared their love and passion on how they have created their unique handcrafting worlds with their bare hands.

“Their palms are all so different — some have scars running on them, some are soft and delicate; their hands are at times gentle, and at times forceful. Through kneading, pressing, hammering and chiselling, they have their own ways in turning plants, metal, wood, fire and clay into different distinctive worlds. These worlds will subsequently intersect with our daily lives.”

2. Weaving Harmony Beyond Time – An inspiring travel to the umbrella sedge field in Hualien of Taiwan and also the studio of Kamaro’an taught us what makes a good design is its ability to harmonize various factors including the era, the ethnicity, the natural environment and the society.

“The art of craft does not depend on distinguishing handmade from machine made; it is rather the determination to attain perfection. This is the attitude possessed by our female weavers who always do their best when weaving our products.” –– Zhang Yun Fann, designer of Kamaro’an

3. Beyond Control – We spent some time with the Taiwanese glass artist, Lynn Lin, and learned not only to appreciate the unpredictability of glass blowing, but also seeing it as a philosophy of life.

“We seldom have any conversation with our soul. Through making glass, through creating and through moving our hands, I can dig out the most intimate feeling from my heart.” –– Lynn Lin

4. The Cape Reimagined – At the beginning of this year, Burberry unveiled their “February Collection” on Makers House’s catwalk, and during the curtain call, they presented 78 different capes from the brand inspired by Henry Moore’s life and creations. We selected 4 pieces to show what Burberry has achieved with this cape collection by crossing the distinct line separating fashion and art, and also renewing the meaning of capes in this era.

“The secret of life is to have a task, something you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for the rest of your life. And the most important thing is, it must be something you cannot possibly do.” –– Henry Moore

5. The Sower – We had an in-depth conversation with Yumi Hayakawa, a Japanese textile artist, and witnessed how the power of her hands is not limited to creating beautiful clothes, growing fresh vegetables and preparing delicious food; her hands also create a lifestyle for herself and her family.

“My mum added buttons to (my handmade underwear) to make it easier for me. She also put some details to indicate it’s the back side of the clothes, or sewn a pocket on the right side... These are all custom made features that are created for the user’s need. Be it clothes or food, made with or without love actually casts a huge difference.” –– Yumi Hayakawa

Cover photography by Ron Lam
Print Details: 140 pages, perfect bound with a white cloth spine, full-color.
Printed in Hong Kong.   

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