Shared by friends and collaborators of Japan House London, 'Words & Thoughts' is a collection of words, characters or phrases in Japanese which are particularly poignant to them or for our time.
Takahashi Mizuki is the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT) in Hong Kong.
She chose: 思索 (‘shi saku’: contemplate)
"Ever since I started working as curator for an art centre in a former spinning mill, I've been interested in kanji (Chinese characters) using the ‘thread’ radical, or ito-hen「糸」in Japanese. Many of the characters incorporating this ‘thread’ radical seem to have connotations relating to ‘connection’ or ‘association’. The Chinese character saku「索」is partly made up of the character for ‘thread’ and apparently covers a range of meanings including ‘rope or cable’, ‘to seek’ or ‘pursue’ and ‘solitude’. Great works of art or design are the crystallization of contemplation by their creators, a process that is, indeed, sometimes solitary. I always feel I want to create exhibitions where the fruits of contemplation can connect with visitors in the moment, and be woven together into new lines of thought."
元紡績工場の中に開館したアートセンターでキュレーターの仕事をするようになってから、糸へんの漢字が気になるようになってきました。部首に糸へんが使われている漢字には、物事を関連させたり、結びつけたりするような意味を含んだ言葉が多い印象があります。糸へんが用いられている「索」の漢字には、縄や綱、求める、探す、ひとりになる、という意味があるそうです。優れたデザインや美術作品は、その作り手の、ときには孤独ともいえる思索の過程が結晶化されたものです。それらと鑑賞者の生きた時間が繋がり、新たな思索の筋道が編まれていくような、そんな展覧会をいつも作りたいと思っています。