Mari Ishikawa: Border - Parallel world

Parallel World
Where does a  "Parallel World" exist? Can one discover this world through time travel? Is it perhaps possible to see this world in a dream?  Or does it only exist in one’s heart?

The world we see is only a part of the entire  reality which is composed of many worlds  existing simultaneously, side by side.
We can find “Parallel Worlds” whenever we open our eyes and hearts. They are always with us.

In this two day workshop with visiting guest artist Mari Ishikawa, students will explore the theme of a “Parallel World” in relation to creating jewelry pieces. Beginning with and introduction to Japanese knot tying techniques, and basing individual projects on objects of memory that each student provides, Mari will share her approach to the concepts she uses in her work, and will guide students through similar processes.

This workshop is a special opportunity to stretch students’ boundaries and learn from a master jeweler whose unique use of materials in relation to a conceptual framework creates imaginative and thoughtful work.

MUSUBI (Knot)
The Japanese word of concept, Musubi, means connection or knot between kami (god) and human being, between humans, between life companions, and between ancestors and descendant. Musubi in Japanese has also the meaning of ending, creation and more. Musubi appears often in daily life in Japan, such as in food, clothing, architecture and design, tea ceremony, poetry, social life and traditional events.

MA(Space + Time)
Ma is a Japanese word which can be roughly translated as "gap", "space", "pause" or "the space between two structural parts. The spatial concept is experienced progressively through intervals of spatial designation. In Japanese, Ma, the word for space, suggests interval. It is best described as a consciousness of place, not in the sense of an enclosed three-dimensional entity, but rather the simultaneous awareness of form and non-form deriving from an intensification of vision.
Ma is not something that is created by compositional elements; it is the thing that takes place in the imagination of the human who experiences these elements. Therefore Ma can be defined as experiential place understood with emphasis on interval.


Parallel worlds
Light of full Moon : Sun = 1:400000
Photographs under moonlight require longer exposure, which is a time of silence. In that way, I look at the fluidity of time in the darkness.
Under the moon light there are grey worlds.  But when I take a picture of such a grey world, they show me different pale colours, which I can’t see with my eyes. It is mysterious. I look into the parallel world.

If you look at something a microscope and keep raising the magnification, the more abstract it shape becomes, until you are looking at nothing but a circle. Likewise, when you view the night sky through a telescope, all heavenly bodies look round. Particularly when you are viewing them through a lens, this similarity in their appearance can foster the illusion that small things viewed close-up and large things
viewed long -distance are practically the same. They take on very simple, abstract forms.
When you look at your immediate surroundings, you see that they are full of objects of various shapes.
the visible world is complex and diverse. With the diversity of scales we deal with our environment,
we live in a world whose state is the most bizarre and complex of all. the thing around us are not simple objects reduced to some common denominator of roundness, but a chaotic jumble of shapes and size.

You see what you want. What do you want see in your world?

All levels welcome.

Student Materials:
Please bring your favourite work material for jewellery design and your tools for jewellery work.

A roll of bandage
Strings : paper, hemp, silk, wool, plastic cord, vinyl cord, metal wire, etc...
Your favourite material for model making : paper, wood, metal, plastic, etc...

A piece of your own memory (might be a photograph or something else). You will present the story about this piece. Everybody has an own story of his life. These memories are reflecting individual images depending on his life.

Dates and price

Dates:
25th-26th Sep 2014, 10am-18 am.

This workshop is being held in conjunction with Mari’s artist lecture on Tuesday Sept. 23rd in the gallery.

Prices:
Non-members: $400.00 USD
Members: $360.00 USD
Dedicated Bench Renters: $340.00 USD

*All students receive a 50% discount on hourly and daily bench rentals throughout the duration of their course.

Refunds & Credit
Withdrawals from class 7 days prior to the start of the class will receive a full refund for the class minus a 5% processing fee. If cancellation occurs 3-6 days prior to the class, we will provide a 50% refund. Cancellations 48 hours or less receive a 25% refund. Refunds will not be provided for no-shows or same-day cancellations.

We do not refund tuition for classes that students miss due to their own circumstances. Students may make-up missed class sessions during open studio hours for up to two weeks after the last class meeting.

We reserve the right to cancel or discontinue any class, in which case you may choose to receive a refund, apply the class credit towards a different course, or receive a tuition credit for future use. Tuition credits are valid for up to one year. Refunds will be issued within 30 days.