Title: Kashira
Year: 2019
Media: Cotton Fiber, Water Soluble Glue, Raw Silk Thread
Dimension: 8”x7”x6” 20x18x15cm
The title of this work is Kashira. The head was called Kashira in Japan, and in the medieval war, the one who took the head of the general was the winner. Recently face recognition has also become widely used in the IT society to identify individuals. This Kashira is a hairstyle peculiar to an unmarried woman called Momoware, and her face is inspired by my mother's youth.
This Kashira was made by shaping cotton fiber little by little while hardening it with water-soluble glue. It will lose its shape when immersed in water.
Cotton is a very familiar item for women in their daily lives. It is used when applying lotion to the face and removing makeup by cleansing. Cotton is also used when injured to wrap the wounded place. The softness reminds me of the characteristic of a woman, and from its fragility, I overlap the delicacy of our living body.
Since the Greek era, sculptures have been made of hard materials such as marble, bronze and wood. In contemporary art, the concept of soft sculpture was born. I made a sculpture using cotton while appreciating the whiteness of the marble sculpture. I found the softness, warmth and fragility of this material are better suited to express the sensations and transients of our body.
As a finishing touch, I wrapped the sculpture in raw silk.
This is my intention to preserve the memory, including the history associated with the sculpture, so that the silkworms are trapped in the cocoons and protected.
