To make sensibility work. Thoughts on SIRI SIRI school “ATRIUM”
2019.01.11
SIRI SIRI is a jewelry brand that has created forms in the unknown realm together with its creators by making the most of Japanese handicrafts. On the other hand, the question about the way of manufacturing, which I have felt while facing the creator at close range and repeating creation, expands.
What is the new image of craftsmen required in the present age?
What is required of creators in the future?
It was also a question that I could not avoid because SIRI SIRI cannot exist without its creators.
Based on technology, we realize manufacturing that is one step ahead while freely utilizing sensibility and senses. Gaining a multifaceted perspective, unique creators create sustainable livelihoods with their own hands. SIRI SIRI school "ATRIUM" is a place of learning for young creators, where SIRI SIRI will start in 2019, where you can learn what you need for that.
Why does a jewelry brand start a school for creators? We asked Chikatsu Fukuda, the SIRI SIRI staff in charge, and Naoko Kono, the secretariat, about their true intentions and the thoughts behind them.
Chika Fukuda｜chika fukuda (left)
Production management staff / SIRI SIRI school "ATRIUM" charge. Born in Kagoshima Prefecture. After graduating from a vocational school specializing in clothing, worked as an intern at SIRI SIRI in 2013 after selling clothes and planning and selling at an accessory parts specialty store. For about a year and a half, I helped with parts assembly and sales assistance, and became a full-time employee in 2015. I am currently in charge of production management.
Naoko Kono｜naoko kono (right photo)
Born in 1980 in Chiba Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Visual Communication Design at Musashino Art University. Since 2015, he has been in charge of NPO Greens' school secretariat / project manager for joint projects with companies and governments. I have been involved in creating learning spaces for many years. One user who loves SIRI SIRI jewelry himself.
The reason why SIRI SIRI started a school
Fukuda: I usually work as a bridge between craftsmen and designer Okamoto. When I was in direct contact with the craftsmen, I got the impression that young craftsmen were still hesitant about how to utilize their knowledge and skills in their activities. Even though I'm worried about whether this will be an income, I don't know how to sell myself, and I don't know how to connect with society. There are more people than you can imagine who find it difficult to convey their abilities to others.
－Indeed, I feel that there are many artists and craftsmen who are not good at creating work based on what they are making.
Kono: That's true. Now, when working with people in different arenas, I feel that the creators are often at a disadvantage because they become like subcontractors. It's such a waste, isn't it? Creators have the weapon of being able to create things as they please, so if we can use that to create encounters with people who can create interesting things together, the possibilities of manufacturing will expand even further. When I heard about the management of this school, I really feel that I want everyone to be equal, whether they are creators, planners, or sales people.
－Because it is not equal, the possibilities do not expand beyond that, and no matter how wonderful things you create, it will not be reflected in your income, right?
Fukuda: Yes. In fact, some of the veteran craftsmen are thinking about what to do with their successors and how to pass on this technology. Some people don't want young people to take over.
I think that tradition is something that continues to be connected by combining it with new things. However, because they cannot make a living, they will shrink and be weeded out. I think we can do something about this situation. And I thought that there was surprisingly no place to learn that could lead to that part, which was the impetus for starting the school.
Although ATRIUM is a school for creators, it is not a place to acquire skills and basic knowledge. It is an image of a place where you can learn what you need to do to make a living from manufacturing. For example, I would like to help students learn in a comprehensive manner, from cultivating sensibilities and aesthetic sense, to building connections with people, to thinking about manufacturing.
Input emotions and output thoughts
- Please tell me the specific content of the course.
Fukuda: There are eight lectures on "ATRIUM". Anyone who is making things and wants to learn can participate, such as writers and craftsmen. This time, we will ask all the students to create works using "rattan" from among the materials handled by SIRI SIRI. I think that the materials that participants usually handle are different for each participant, but I thought that it would be easier to express their ideas and individuality if they all used the same materials. I would like to have the lecturers comment on my work.
The instructors are people who are involved in manufacturing from various perspectives. This time, the material used is wisteria, so I will visit the workshop to let you know how the wisteria artist works with SIRI SIRI. After that, I will ask crafts and folk crafts experts how handicrafts will be in the future, and I will ask people who are doing brand PR how to show and convey products, from the customer's point of view. I would also like to hear from those who are watching. Of course SIRI SIRI designer Okamoto will also participate.
Kono: I think that the curriculum is a well-balanced summary of Mr. Fukuda's thoughts on the site, Mr. Okamoto's thoughts on the whole, and Mr. Ono's calm advice.
Fukuda: In a strange way, I've also asked a 'Hana' Michike teacher to be a lecturer, drawing on my sensibilities. Flower arrangement is a little different from craftsmanship. I think there are things that you can see by listening to such people and by arranging flowers yourself.
- That sounds interesting. It seems that you can get a multifaceted perspective on manufacturing.
Fukuda: Also, many craftsmen are not good at expressing themselves, so I'm thinking of practicing that as well.
- Practice expressing yourself?
Fukuda: It's like making time to properly output the input you've learned from the instructor. I would like to have them read the book and discuss their impressions. By doing input and output together, we will create a foundation that allows us to talk on an equal footing.
Kono: I think there are very few writers and craftsmen who can make their own proposals. Now that we have SNS, there are some people who send their own messages, but the population is still not large. When you find something beautiful or turn your inner self into a work of art, the ability to convey that to others is very important. So, I am also interested in what kind of changes will occur if we create time for the craftsmen to output in words, and I am looking forward to it.
Besides, having someone say something while repeating the output actually helps push the next action. This is something that I have taken great care of in creating a place for learning that I have been doing.
What is the new image of craftsmen?
－Hearing the story, I feel that the way craftsmen work has begun to change considerably from the past. Mr. Fukuda, what is the new image of a craftsman?
Fukuda: For example, it would be nice if we could not only create what we were told, but also be able to make proposals from a completely nonexistent point of view, and ask, “How about doing this?” If something better comes out of that, I think it would be ideal for manufacturing. I feel that if many such evolutionary craftsmen are born, we will be able to see a different landscape.
－Does that mean that SIRI SIRI also welcomes suggestions from craftsmen?
Fukuda: Yes. Designers can only come up with ideas from a design perspective. But when the creator says, ``I want to make this kind of shape,'' from the materials and techniques, they know, ``I can do this,'' and ``I'm worried about this part.'' SIRI I think that SIRI is a brand that is able to create good products and ensure safety through that interaction.
Of course, the proposal is not just anything, it has to be a good one. In order to do that, the creators need to raise all their abilities and change their way of thinking. Once craftsmen have refined their sensibilities and sensibilities, they will be able to go one step further and make proposals, and if they are able to communicate, they will surely be able to create even more amazing things. I would like to explore that possibility as SIRI SIRI.
－So the craftsman's awareness from the bottom up also leads to SIRI SIRI's manufacturing from the bottom up, doesn't it?
Fukuda: There are many young creators who have good taste and intuition, so I think that by learning at a place like this school, they will absorb more and more of their sensibilities. increase. From an early stage, people who make things by incorporating both technique and sensibility will appear, and after 10 or 20 years, a new way of craftsmanship and a different image of craftsmen from the current image of craftsmen will be born. should continue.
By the way, if there is someone who seems to be able to do such a thing together, there is a possibility that they will eventually join SIRI SIRI. Rather, there are many parts where we also expect it.
I want all creators to have confidence
-Lastly, please tell us what kind of people you want to participate.
Fukuda: If people who want to make a living with what they are doing now and what they are making participate, they will have a broader perspective, and I think they will be able to see the future. I would like people who make good things and want to continue to do so to come.
Kono: I want people who want to earn money to come (laughs). I've said it clearly, but I think it's important. I usually work in the social design field, but the theme common to both social design and the world of manufacturing is to continue to do what I like and cherish. It's about what to do in order to do so. That means it's not sustainable now. At this school, you can learn what you need to do to solve that problem, so if you want to sustain your manufacturing work, I definitely want you to participate.
It's become a bit of a business topic, but it's all about aesthetics and the technology that makes it possible to create something. It should be something that will definitely help you in your daily life, so I want you to gain that confidence through the school. I want all creators to have more confidence in what they are doing.
SIRI SIRI school "ATRIUM" Click here for details.
▷ http://sirisiri.jp/siri-siri-school/
Recruitment is until Wednesday, January 23, 23:59.
Written by Yuki Hirakawa
Photo Go Itami