Molten Glass

Hanada: How did you come to your current line of work?

Chieko Mori : My older sister, who is seven years older than me and worked in graphic design, had a big influence. When I was in elementary school, I would look at the assignments she was working on in college and listen to her talk about them…
Also, my father worked in architecture, and my mother made and sold stained glass as a hobby, so it felt like a natural progression for me to enter a junior college art program in lifestyle design. There, I mainly worked with metal and thought I might become an accessory designer someday.

Hanada: It sounds like your encounter with glass came later.

Chieko Mori : It started when I happened to find a photo book in the school library themed around “molten glass.” After that, I kept thinking I’d like to see it in person someday, and when I had the chance to try a glassmaking experience, I joined.　Even though I only touched it briefly, I was completely hooked.　After that, I enrolled in classes at that studio and commuted once a week, spending an hour and a half each time.

Hanada: That’s quite an intense way to get into it (laughs).

Chieko Mori : While I was doing that, I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop at a glass studio in Chiba.　Until then, I wasn’t very comfortable going somewhere unfamiliar or doing things on my own, but for that, I felt I could go alone.

Hanada: You must have been very drawn to glass.

Chieko Mori : Well, it was also because none of my friends wanted to come along (laughs).

Hanada: The workshop must have been a great stimulus.

Chieko Mori : Yes. But there, it was normal for participants to be attending art universities or glass schools—no one was just going once a week like me. That became a turning point, and I started thinking I wanted to pursue glass seriously, so I decided to go to the Toyama Institute of Glass Art.

What Matters to Me

Hanada: From there, you began working with glass in earnest. What is the appeal of glass for you?

Chieko Mori : It sparkles. That’s all. For me, that’s exactly what matters.

Hanada: Can you put into words the appeal of glassblowing?

Chieko Mori : There are many aspects, but first of all, the process allows you to adjust and correct as you work, and it’s easier to arrive at answers. More than anything, when I’m blowing glass, I enter a state of emptiness—it feels almost like playing a sport. At the institute, I was able to experience various methods of glassmaking, but glassblowing suited my nature best, and it was also the method through which I could create what I truly like.

Something of My Own

Hanada: Has your style always been as it is now?

Chieko Mori : The simplicity of the construction hasn’t changed. In particular, this series called “Hakuu” is something I’ve been making since I was a student.

Hanada: Your glasswork is simple, yet it subtly conveys the maker’s sensibility. The balance is remarkable.

Chieko Mori : If I strip things down too much, I feel like I disappear from it. That may not actually be the case, but… I want to add something like a “reason” for my presence—or a slight distinctive touch.

Hanada: I think that “distinctive touch” you mention is what draws me in.

Chieko Mori : I do want to add “something.” By doing so, I hope what’s within me can be conveyed.

Hanada: It’s interesting, isn’t it? Not something you’d be troubled without, but something that makes you happy when it’s there… From the user’s perspective, what might that be?

Chieko Mori : Perhaps it becomes “something of your own”… Even when I make the same item, each one is different, and people choose from among them. Also, when I add that “something,” I’m thinking only about that particular piece, so each carries its own intention. I personally like choosing works by other artists thinking, “For me, this one is the one I love.” And I hope using it becomes a “happy moment” for each person.

I Like Lines

Hanada: What do you value when making your pieces?

Chieko Mori : It’s the opposite of him (Koichiro Mori), but I value intuition.

Hanada: That’s interesting—being in the same place yet valuing completely opposite approaches.

Chieko Mori : I don’t do things I feel are unnecessary or wrong. For example, I don’t like the center.

Hanada: The center?

Chieko Mori : Even when cutting into the glass, I don’t place it in the center.

Hanada: Indeed, it’s slightly off, asymmetrical. The widths vary subtly as well. Do you try different patterns?

Chieko Mori : I follow the image I have at that moment, searching for a balance that feels right to me, capturing my intuition at that time and translating it into glass. Simply put, I like lines.

Hanada: Lines!

Chieko Mori : Lines cast beautiful shadows. I also like how, when you pour water, they appear to shift or ripple.

Natural Landscapes in Glass

Hanada: What inspired this?

Chieko Mori : I’m imagining the way light flickers in an instant. I draw each line one by one using the same technique as Edo Kiriko cutting. I want people to see not only each individual line but also the whole composition, so I value both the lines and the spaces between them.

Hanada: The spacing between the lines?

Chieko Mori : If the spacing is too wide, it can actually feel noisy. I also like when, once food is served, only one side of the lines becomes visible.

Hanada: Yes, plating really enhances it. I also like the textured surface.

Chieko Mori : I set limits on the extent of the texture. I also try to ensure it doesn’t appear as a pattern. I hope it has a presence similar to something without decoration.

Hanada: All your works have titles.

Chieko Mori : Yes. I begin with something I want to express, and I want to convey even a part of the image I originally had. “Matataki” suggests a flash… “Hakuu” refers to a sudden shower, but I imagine raindrops trailing down; “Yukibare” evokes sunlight hitting accumulated snow after it stops falling. I often draw inspiration from natural landscapes.

Favorite Canisters

Hanada: We look forward to the exhibition.

Chieko Mori : Thank you very much. I’d like to make canisters that we also find useful in our daily life at home.

Hanada: Haven’t you already made canisters?

Chieko Mori : I’m thinking of making ones with an even simpler structure. At home, we use them for things like jam and shio-koji.

Hanada: They must look beautiful as well.

Chieko Mori : I pay attention to the size of the opening and the lid so that they are easy to take things in and out of, and easy to clean.

Hanada: I’m looking forward to it!