Mutsumi Kagoshima is a sculptor who creates vessels and products that bring joy to everyday life. Following on from last year's highly acclaimed "Floro" series, his 2017 theme is "Meets." He will be showcasing "Floro Drops," the second installment of his collaborative "Floro" series with Yumiko Iihoshi. He will also be showcasing collaborative works born from his encounters with international artists. Where does his unconventional creativity come from? We visited his office in Fukuoka City to delve deeper into the essence of his work.
■The foundation is "making things that make everyone happy"
-- Your great-uncle, Juzo Kagoshima, was the founder of paper dolls and a Living National Treasure. And your grandfather, his younger brother, also made Hakata dolls. My grandfather created topographical models at the request of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. So, to be precise, he was a sculptor and engineer, and he would make anything he could. One of those was Hakata dolls.
He was a bit of an unconventional person, a loner who tried out various firing methods, materials and decorations based on his own values, and even incorporated high-quality paints imported from overseas. After the war, he made Hakata dolls wearing dresses, and ordered overseas fashion magazines to make dolls and statues of Mary dressed in dresses worn by Hollywood actresses. He was an innovative person. My grandmother often told me, "You guys are here because of you, Grandpa."
--So, was your family a big influence behind your current involvement in manufacturing?
My father built our house in the suburbs, so we lived in a rural area where there weren't many children of my generation. As a child, I was either at home drawing pictures or playing in the mud, or visiting my grandparents in the neighborhood for tea.
I have an older brother who is currently working in applied biology, or to put it simply, cancer research. It was interesting to be surrounded by the natural science books my brother would buy for me as a child. I skimmed through them, and it felt like the keywords were just instilled in me. I was certainly influenced by my family, both good and bad... like my loud voice (laughs). I feel like I was very blessed.
--The theme of this project is "Meets." Can you tell us about an encounter in your life that you feel was important?
I had a lot of strong and unique family members, so I think that was the foundation, but I was a salaryman for a little over 12 years, including the company I joined after graduating from university and then an interior goods retailer, so I learned a lot from the customers, business partners, senior colleagues, colleagues, and junior colleagues I met during that time.
I was able to handle a lot of great products from all over the world, so I was able to see and touch them, and hear from the people who actually made them, which was very helpful in creating things. With that in mind, I started making things based on the idea of what kind of things I could make that people would be interested in picking up, and my basic idea is to create tools that people can enjoy using, just one aspect of diversity.
--So your experience as a salaryman has led to your current approach to craftsmanship, Kagoshima-san.
It was a job where I sold great things, made sales to buy more, and used that to buy even more great things, so I kept things and money circulating. In that sense, even now, it's not just me or just one place that's happy, but I'm very conscious of creating a flow of things and money in a stress-free, happy environment for the people who buy my products, the manufacturers, the galleries, the select shops...
Some people say that my time as a salaryman was a gap, but because I was able to learn about these things, it was a shortcut, not a detour, and I think that's what sets me apart from other craftsmen.
>>Continued in the second half: "Meets: A creative endeavor created through the exchange of techniques, visual artist Mutsumi Kagoshima - 2/2."
>>Tableware with space to enrich your life. What is Meets with tableware artist Yumiko Iihoshi? "Meets.- Iihoshi Yumiko & Kagoshima Mutsumi Exhibition" [INTERVIEW]
[Event Information]
"Meets.- Iihoshi Yumiko & Kagoshima Mutsumi Exhibition"
Dates: March 29th - April 11th
Venue: Isetan Shinjuku Main Building, 5th floor, Center Park/The Stage #5
The first installment will feature the second installment of "Floro," a collaborative work with Iihoshi Yumiko that received a great response following last year's. The second installment will feature collaborative works with an overseas artist living in the UK.
From March 29th to April 4th
- "Floro Drop", a collaborative piece by ceramic artists Yumiko Iihoshi and Makoto Kagoshima
From April 5th to April 11th
- Tableware by Makoto Kagoshima and John & Julian Sainsbury
- Cushions, dolls, and charms by Makoto Kagoshima and Donna Wilson
■The foundation is "making things that make everyone happy"
-- Your great-uncle, Juzo Kagoshima, was the founder of paper dolls and a Living National Treasure. And your grandfather, his younger brother, also made Hakata dolls. My grandfather created topographical models at the request of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. So, to be precise, he was a sculptor and engineer, and he would make anything he could. One of those was Hakata dolls.
He was a bit of an unconventional person, a loner who tried out various firing methods, materials and decorations based on his own values, and even incorporated high-quality paints imported from overseas. After the war, he made Hakata dolls wearing dresses, and ordered overseas fashion magazines to make dolls and statues of Mary dressed in dresses worn by Hollywood actresses. He was an innovative person. My grandmother often told me, "You guys are here because of you, Grandpa."
--So, was your family a big influence behind your current involvement in manufacturing?
My father built our house in the suburbs, so we lived in a rural area where there weren't many children of my generation. As a child, I was either at home drawing pictures or playing in the mud, or visiting my grandparents in the neighborhood for tea.
I have an older brother who is currently working in applied biology, or to put it simply, cancer research. It was interesting to be surrounded by the natural science books my brother would buy for me as a child. I skimmed through them, and it felt like the keywords were just instilled in me. I was certainly influenced by my family, both good and bad... like my loud voice (laughs). I feel like I was very blessed.
--The theme of this project is "Meets." Can you tell us about an encounter in your life that you feel was important?
I had a lot of strong and unique family members, so I think that was the foundation, but I was a salaryman for a little over 12 years, including the company I joined after graduating from university and then an interior goods retailer, so I learned a lot from the customers, business partners, senior colleagues, colleagues, and junior colleagues I met during that time.
I was able to handle a lot of great products from all over the world, so I was able to see and touch them, and hear from the people who actually made them, which was very helpful in creating things. With that in mind, I started making things based on the idea of what kind of things I could make that people would be interested in picking up, and my basic idea is to create tools that people can enjoy using, just one aspect of diversity.
--So your experience as a salaryman has led to your current approach to craftsmanship, Kagoshima-san.
It was a job where I sold great things, made sales to buy more, and used that to buy even more great things, so I kept things and money circulating. In that sense, even now, it's not just me or just one place that's happy, but I'm very conscious of creating a flow of things and money in a stress-free, happy environment for the people who buy my products, the manufacturers, the galleries, the select shops...
Some people say that my time as a salaryman was a gap, but because I was able to learn about these things, it was a shortcut, not a detour, and I think that's what sets me apart from other craftsmen.
>>Continued in the second half: "Meets: A creative endeavor created through the exchange of techniques, visual artist Mutsumi Kagoshima - 2/2."
>>Tableware with space to enrich your life. What is Meets with tableware artist Yumiko Iihoshi? "Meets.- Iihoshi Yumiko & Kagoshima Mutsumi Exhibition" [INTERVIEW]
[Event Information]
"Meets.- Iihoshi Yumiko & Kagoshima Mutsumi Exhibition"
Dates: March 29th - April 11th
Venue: Isetan Shinjuku Main Building, 5th floor, Center Park/The Stage #5
The first installment will feature the second installment of "Floro," a collaborative work with Iihoshi Yumiko that received a great response following last year's. The second installment will feature collaborative works with an overseas artist living in the UK.
From March 29th to April 4th
- "Floro Drop", a collaborative piece by ceramic artists Yumiko Iihoshi and Makoto Kagoshima
From April 5th to April 11th
- Tableware by Makoto Kagoshima and John & Julian Sainsbury
- Cushions, dolls, and charms by Makoto Kagoshima and Donna Wilson
!["Meets." - A creative exchange of techniques, artist Mutsumi Kagoshima "Meets. - Yumiko Iihoshi & Mutsumi Kagoshima Exhibition" [INTERVIEW--2/2]](https://wrqc9vvfhu8e.global.ssl.fastly.net/api/image/crop/380x380/images/migration/2017/04/078d8328d9c32750d79b6d1f8c4a0cbe.jpg)
