Dialogue - Chikuni -

What prompted you to start making things? Going back in time, what were you interested in as a student or working adult?

Chikuni : When I was a child, I had the opportunity to help renovate my parents' house. One day, my parents gave me some graph paper and I was playing around, trying to draw my dream house. I really enjoyed drawing the floor plan, even though I had no prior knowledge. Since then, I've been drawing houses whenever I have the time. At the same time, I also like assembling plastic models. I thought it was fun to do both drawing and actually building things myself.

After studying design and spatial composition at an architecture school, I got a job at a design company. Since I mainly worked on commercial design, I was able to be involved in a wide range of work, not just graphics, but also product design and the design of fixtures for displaying them. After that, I learned how to weld and work with iron at an exterior company, and gained experience working as a craftsman. I learned furniture restoration and woodworking at an antique shop, obtained a second-hand goods dealer license, and did everything from sales to delivery, learning a variety of things related to running a store. It wasn't something I intended at all, and I didn't really plan it, but in the end, my experiences up to that point were very useful and have led to the creation of things I do today.

Could you tell us about a major turning point that led you to go independent?

Chikuni : After going independent, the first thing I made was a table and chairs for a cafe that an acquaintance was opening. The organizer of a craft fair visited the cafe and asked me to make some works at the fair, which was a turning point for me. That was the first time I learned about the job of a craft artist, not a craftsman. I talked to various artists and did my own research, and it was an eye-opener. I made furniture, so I had scraps, but since my studio was in the city, I couldn't use them for firewood, and it cost money to throw away the wood chips. I made a "round pedestal light" out of those scraps, combining oak wood, insulators, and twisted cloth cord. I started to want to make interior accessories, taking advantage of my previous job as an interior designer.

Chikuni means "tree" in the Ainu language, but why did you choose an Ainu word for your author name?

Chikuni : When I was reading a lot of documents in the library, I came across a history book drawn by an Ainu person. Each piece of Ainu folk art has a deep meaning, and the more I learn about it, the more I am drawn to the traditional culture they have left behind. I felt that the Ainu's feelings about wood, which are indispensable to their lives, were similar to my own feelings. Trees vary depending on the type, and their properties change depending on the environment in which they were grown, and they change even more as they are used. There are fun and difficulties that come with being a living thing. So when I create a piece of work, sometimes I end up with something that goes beyond my imagination, and when it turns out to be better than I had imagined, I realize the depth and charm of working with wood. I also like the strangely pleasant sound of the words, which are neither Japanese nor English.

You choose the materials, design and create your pieces yourself, but at what moment do you get the idea that you want to create a certain piece of furniture or tool?

Chikuni : Basically, I make things related to daily life and things that enrich the soul. I value the idea of ​​making classic, one-of-a-kind items. One of the things I make is an "aluminum clock" that is made from aluminum tableware I bought at antique markets and finished with screws. For example, if you make an aluminum clock out of new aluminum, it will be pretty but it will look like an industrial product. In my case, I use aluminum tableware I bought at antique markets, so even though the shape is classic, each one has a different expression and a rich texture.

I really like lighting, and I think about how beautiful it would be if I put flowers in it and put light on the wall, and the shadow of the flowers would be reflected on the wall. Apart from that, I also make objects based on my own desires. By making classic one-of-a-kind pieces and objets d'art, I create things while finding the right balance for myself.

Please tell us what you keep in mind when making things. Also, are your interests at the time reflected in your work?

Chikuni : For example, when I saw the shallowest aluminum plate at an antique market, I thought I could make a clock out of it. I sliced ​​the aluminum plate thinly, riveted it with the same material, and installed the clock and tension. I didn't think it was necessary to type in the numbers at that time. I cut off the unnecessary things. I don't put in anything that is necessary. If it functions, I think that's fine. I want everything I make to be beautiful in my opinion. And that's how the Aluminum Clock was completed. Basically, I make things that I want, but I like things that bring movement to the space. I have my own rules for size, height, and size. I have experience studying design and spatial composition, so I may have an architectural perspective on how I perceive furniture and tools.

Beautiful to look at and usable in real interiors. That is what I aim for, so I call myself an "interior decorator" and have chosen a path that is not bound by various genres. The work "book on the wall," which I created with the desire to display art books, also has a form that was born from function. I have always loved art books, and I wanted to display them by leaning them up against something. I wanted to create a device that would allow you to display books by opening them to any page you like, not just the cover, and to display pictures and photographs more casually than frames, and that would look beautiful even if you just hung it on the wall, and that's how this form came about. Whatever I find interesting at the time, I interpret it and incorporate it into my own creations, which are then reflected in my work.

What kind of future do you envision for yourself?

Chikuni : I like the process of "drawing and creating," not just design or production. OLAibi's live lighting direction at this exhibition and conversations with customers in the store broadened my interests and reflected them in my work. I feel like this positive interaction will continue in the future.