Enthusiast

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and look as if they will flutter about with just a deep breath.

The path to Utsushiki is decorated with color, and small flowers create a flower path at the base of the garden.

They prepare diligently underground and in places we can't see, and each year they jump out onto the stage at their turn, creating the scenery at that moment.

Spring is a time that strongly reminds us that this world is made up of a collection of many small things.

The Nagase Jiro exhibition ended yesterday with great success.

Thank you to everyone who came.

The most exciting thing this time is the Aluminum Stretch Workshop! ANW!

The presentation is completely different from usual.

At the entrance, you are greeted by a variety of tools lined up on a tatami mat.

Under the guidance of Jiro Sensei, the children hammered the cut pieces of aluminum into shapes as they pleased.

Once they start playing, everyone becomes completely absorbed.

Some people get so enthusiastic that they concentrate on their work for two or three hours.

Although it was labeled as a spoon, it also contained knives, glasses, an incense holder,

There are also shapes that tickle your imagination, such as crocodiles and other things...

You don't have to think too much; just move your hands and what comes through your body will immediately appear in the aluminum.

You can learn that simple tools can play a variety of roles depending on how you use them,

How to expand within the constraints is up to each individual.

It also felt like a workshop that loosened and relaxed my head along with the vibrations of hitting my stiff head.

Not only aluminum tools, but also music equipment and filming equipment were set up.

The newly created music was made by recording and editing the sounds of everyone working, and then it was played, overlaid with the live sounds of other people working, and once it was completed, photos were taken in a homemade studio.

The photos used on this blog are also of Jiro-kun.

On the final day, we will be treated to a course meal prepared entirely in aluminum dishes by Comptoir Coin Maru, a wine bar in Asakusa.

A luxurious event where you can enjoy a wide selection of natural wines paired with food.

After finishing their meal, everyone's faces were filled with bliss as they told us how delicious the food was.

At the launch party, the pizza baked in the oven they brought was absolutely delicious, and the huge amount of dough they prepared was quickly filled up by everyone.

This time there was also some freestyle time set aside at the standing bar, which meant the customers all joined in and had a great time.

The kids had so much fun making pizza that they fought over it.

Maru-san taught them to handle the fluffy homemade dough like they were handling a baby, and they handled it with pride.

The dishes they make in a flash are simple yet magically delicious, so if you're near Tokyo, be sure to stop by their store.

The Ono children, who were in the gallery every day for over 10 days like a training camp, were closely following each other during spring break and began creating works of art in the morning.

Jiro calls what the children are doing now "his job."

The book was filled with messages that I personally want to keep in mind, such as how everyday life involves using ingenuity to make things using whatever is available, the importance of taking care of tools, and how to approach the act of creation.

I feel like my perception of the work was enriched by not only seeing the finished product, but also by experiencing it from the creator's side.

And seeing everyone enjoying themselves so wholeheartedly, I felt truly happy.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the experience and was able to complete the spoon.

There are mismatched tiny strawberries sleeping in the fridge.

The excitement is heightened when I imagine making it into jam and scooping it up with a freshly made aluminum spoon.

May what we have created continue to grow in our own lives.

Saori Konishi