An artisan pouring her soul into her creations
Takae Takeda, a metal artisan, creates vessels and art pieces using iron and aluminium. In her studio, both dynamic objects and delicate vessels are displayed. Nakata commented as he picked up each piece, ”there is a roundness and warmth, but also the sharpness of metal that you expect. You can feel her sensitivity everywhere.” Although she is an artisan, her work has been described as ”sculptures”, and she talks about her work and the difference of the two worlds. ”What is the definition of craftwork and sculpture? Redefining my own craft. You could say that that is the starting point of creation. Craftwork is not a technique but it is a spirituality. Each piece of work contains the artist’s soul and the universe is infinite.”
Expressing the presence of people, and power that is invisible
“We spotted a large aluminium piece in her studio. When we asked about the motif for this piece, she told us. ”Craftwork instill a reaction or response once it leaves my studio and reaches the person who will be using it. It is different from music where you can share the excitement on the spot. With this piece, I wanted to feel the same emotions as others when they see it, just like when you listen to music.”
She added, ”There is an invisible energy between people. I want to express the existence of people.” The piece which inspires the image of white cloth, was created with aluminium and not the iron she normally uses. The most important thing for a craft is to come to terms with the raw materials. “
Creating a ”sake” glass
Nakata has experience with forging metal. On our visit, he gets to experience making a sake glass. The process began by tapping the surface of the tin and attaching a handle. ”(Unlike ”Shibori technique”), it’s fun to see the immediate change when you tap it. I want to express the feeling of a snowstorm,” he comments as the sound of the hammer echoed. When the tapping is over, the metal is cut and formed into a cylinder, and the sides are welded. She explains, ”Fire the points as if you are joining them temporarily. If you apply the flame for too long, you will create a hole, so repeat applying the flame and releasing it.” When the welding work is over, the shape of a sake glass is formed.
