Inspired Shapes: Contemporary Designs for Japan's Ancient Crafts [Hardcover]

Ori Koyama (Author), Mizuho Kuwata (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2005

The movement to bring contemporary sensibilities to Japan's traditional crafts-in stunning photographs and inspiring words.

Inspired Shapes is the first book to showcase the work of today's innovative Japanese craftspeople who are striving to keep their crafts viable, yet compatible with modern lifestyles and aesthetics. Author Ori Koyama searched throughout Japan to find the artists and works most representative of the movement. What she found was truly inspiring:
craftspeople, young and old, male and female, embracing the challenge of bringing new ideas and ways of thinking into harmony with tradition-often with startling results. They work in bamboo, glass, wood, paper, lacquer, metal, textiles, grasses, vines and earth. The one thing they all share is their commitment to their work.

The book is organized by medium: each section discusses a specific material and its relationship to Japanese tradition. The works themselves are presented in exquisite photographs by Mizuho Kuwata and complemented by illuminating descriptions and explanations, often in the words of the artists themselves.

Inspired Shapes is not only a book about design, but a book about heritage and creativity. It celebrates fine workmanship, vibrant life and the need for both tradition and change.

BAMBOO

Light Screen
Susutake Bed
Knife and Fork
Baskets

WOOD

Camel Chest
Meditation Stool
Folding Desk

TEXTILE

Norens
Tapestry
Cushions

PAPER

Lamps
Wood Grain Writing Paper
Folding Screen
Paper Coil Bowl

METAL

Iron Kettle
Iron Candlestick
Iron Bookends
Silver Pitcher

LACQUER

Stacked Boxes
Stacked Cups
Pet Bottle

PLUS

GLASS
GRASSES
VINES
EARTH

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author Koyama collects representative examples of Japan's current arts and crafts movement in this stylish collection of meticulous workmanship. Organized by medium, Koyama gives a brief overview of the significance of a particular material-bamboo, metal, textiles, wood-in Japanese culture and highlights key pieces, focusing on utilitarian items (although tapestries and a whimsical pop-art sake set also work their way in) such as stacking dinner boxes, screens, trays, mats and sake servers that, though steeped in tradition, have been retooled, updated or otherwise influenced by modern needs and sensibilities. Beautiful in and of themselves, many of the works are made even more stunning by photographer Kuwata, whose use of close ups and unique angles allow the reader to get a much better feel for the craftsmanship of each piece. Koyama has also included biographies and contact information for each of the featured artists, presumably so readers can acquire a work for themselves, but some may conclude this is a dressed-up catalog.
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Review

"Author Ori Koyama, with the help of the photography of Mizuho Kuwata, presents a blend of old and new, contemporary Japanese design inspired by their country's rich legacy of ancient art. Kuwata's stunning photography makes for a visually exciting book." -Art Times

"Modernist Western designers have long incorporated traditional Japanese designs into their work. Now Japanese designers are creating modern decorative objects in the ancient manner." -Metropolitan Home Magazine

"Inspired Shapes is the first book to showcase the work of today's innovative Japanese craftspeople." -Museum Store Magazine

"Illustrates the new arts and crafts movement to bring contemporary sensibilities to Japan's traditional crafts, in vibrant photographs and inspiring words." -ForeWord Magazine

"Stark, elegant, nuanced: Japan has a distinctive aesthetic that can turn the simplest tool into an object of veneration. ...Inspire Shapes will make you want to throw away all your accumulations of stuff and live with just the basics, finely wrought." -The Seattle Times

"Kuwata's closeup photographs approach abstract art. The text is short, satisfying, zenlike. Included is an informative appendix of artist profiles." -Sacramento Bee (CA)

"Some present-day pieces include a bamboo bed, an iron sake server, woven baskets, a lamp created from tried bamboo branches and twigs, wood grain stationary, ornamental bowls, a folding desk made of Keri wood, and calligraphy brushes inspired by an Edo-period monk. What makes this book wonderful is that it is both a look forward and a look backward." -THE Magazine (Santa Fe, NM)

"Many of the objects showcases in a handsome new book called Inspired Shapes: Contemporary Designs for Japan's Ancient Crafts are collaborations between contemporary designers and regional artisans. . . The elegant intersection between tradition and change that is at the heart of Japanese culture finds a beautiful new articulation in objects that are meant to be used, admired, and cherished." -Hemispheres Magazine

"Author Koyama collects representative examples of Japan's current arts and crafts movement in this stylish collection of meticulous workmanship. . . Beautiful in and of themselves, many of the works are made even more stunning by photographer Kuwata, whose use of close ups and unique angles allow the reader to get a much better feel for the craftsmanship of each piece." -Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha USA; 1St Edition edition (September 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770029500
• ISBN-13: 978-4770029508
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #633,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)