A trip out with my grand-parents on the search for flowerbed plants led us to Harlow Carr Garden centre, which was holding a Japanese Art Exhibition, something which I would not normally be interested in. We walked through the beautiful flowers and wildlife before our eyes met with the trivial out-house type building at the bottom of the gardens. Curious to explore we headed inside and much to our surprise there was a large array of Japanese art framed on the walls along with stunning pottery displayed on tables in the centre.
The wall art was genuine Japanese wood block prints made in Tokyo and were made using original techniques used by the Master Utagawa Hiroshige, so a luxury for us as we wouldn’t normally see this at a generic museum or exhibition. The whole exhibition followed a loose concept of Natural forms and Animals. Within the woodblock prints forms included Peacocks which symbolise compassion and kind-heartedness, and a wide range of flowers and plant life. I thought this was a great exhibition to see as I got an insight into other cultures art and also how I could reflect this into my own work by adding animals or natural life that symbolises something rather than going for the obvious thing I could dig deeper and research so that my design work is not as ‘face-value’ and understandable.
Ceramic bowls and plates were scattered around the exhibition. From small pinch pots decorated in Japanese letter to large bowls with coloured glaze on them, displayed on top of sushi mats which suggested, in my opinion that they were to be used in the kitchen. Another great thing about this exhibition was that I got to look at some other mediums I could incorporate into my future designs and understand another culture to give me great insight into the world around me. Through the back of the exhibition was a small shop where you could buy prints and other quirky Japanese ornaments and clothing to take home. I bought a grey ceramic owl which represents good health in Japan. My grand-parents bought an amazing handmade ceramic vase, covered in a black and white monotonous swept over glaze.
In conclusion, I am extremely happy to have been able to visit an exhibition I wouldn’t normally go to and with an open mind I learnt a lot about other mediums and where else other designers get their inspiration. Although these are not mediums or techniques I would normally go to, I can now refer back to them to further inspire my future design work.
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