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The Charm of Items Made by Amateur

The Rusty Toy Truck

金工藝家金森正起的房間如同Cabinet of curiosities,十多平方米的空間,四面牆與地上都堆滿了書及他自日本各地搜來的「珍品」,餘下的空間,只剛好夠他舖上被舖。他不少藏品都教人摸不著頭腦——昭和時代火車便當用來盛湯汁的即棄陶壼、自建築工地撿來上的水泥塊、壓偏了的塑膠娃娃、用紙條編成的小孩衣服……43歲的他,常被說像個大孩子,眼睛骨碌骨碌,任何事物在他看來都新奇有趣。從今個月開始,我們請他每個月分享他一件藏品,同時探看這些摸不著頭腦的怪東西,如何化作養分,成就他看似冷靜卻滿載童趣的創作風格。

Entering the room of the metal artist Masaki Kanamori was like entering a cabinet of curiosities. The less than 20 square meters room was lined with walls of books and collectables he obtained from all around Japan. Since the shelves were not enough to contain his massive collections, some of them were piled up on the floor, leaving only enough space to unfold his futon. As an outsider, it could be rather difficult to understand the “value” of his collectables. For instance, the collection includes a Showa-period disposable clay jar that used to be placed inside of the train bento box to contain sauce, a concrete brick he picked from a construction site, a deformed plastic doll, a piece of children garment made from paper, etc. Many would call Kanamori a kidult; at the age of 43, he can still see things from a child perspective and discover their fascinating aspects. From this month on, we will have Kanamori to introduce to us one of his collections every month. Through his sharing, we will get to know how these weird things that no one understands can become the inspiration to his subtle yet whimsically creative style of art.

R: Ron Lam,  M: Masaki Kanamori

R:你收集了很多像玩具的東西呢,收集古道具之初便偏愛這類物品嗎?
M:開始時收集的多是大家都認為有價值,或是在創作上能作參考的東西。現在除了這些東西外,更偏愛一些破破爛爛的、看來沒甚麼價值的東西。像玩具、勞作、小孩造的物品等。

R:以前的「價值」是指甚麼?是歷史價值或是升值能力嗎?
M:我從沒有考慮會否升值呢。嗯⋯⋯該說是像Pewter、古陶瓷、李朝時代的物品等,喜歡古道具的人都喜愛的物品吧。現在我則常被一些大部份都不認為有魅力東西所吸引。不過,李朝的物品對我來說仍然充滿魅力。

R:那些「大部份都不認為有魅力」,大都是業餘者製作的,你覺得它們共通的吸引力是甚麼?
M:因為製作者並非為了顯現自己的專業而做,所以不會很「刻意」。也可能因為他們是以自己或孩子為目的,故此能夠感受到當中的愛。

R: You seem to have a great collection of toys. Have toys always been your preference as you first started out to collect used items?
M: At the beginning, I tended to collect things that are of value to most people’s eyes. I also collected items that could be used as a reference for my artwork. Now I prefer old items that do not have an apparent value, like toys and kid’s crafts.

R: What do you mean by “value” of the items you used to collect? Are you talking about historical value or their potential appreciation in value?
M: I never consider their ability to appreciate in value. I was mainly referring to Pewter, ancient pottery, and items from the Joseon dynasty. These are the things that most antique lovers would appreciate. Now I am more fascinated by things that do not arouse the public’s interest. However, my passion for items from the Joseon dynasty has not faded.

R: Things that do not arouse the public’s interest are usually made by amateurs. Do they have something in common that attracts you?
M: As they were not made as a task, therefore they are free of any specific intention. The creators may have made them merely for themselves or their children, so there is a sense of love in these works.

R:造這些東西的人,說不定只是想逗自己或小孩開心而已,而非討好大眾。該是邊想著對方,邊造的吧。
M:是呢。也可能只是閒時隨手的手工,或是暑假的勞作作業。那沒有造求過高的完成度、剛剛好的感覺,也是這些物品魅力所在。

R:那很隨意的感覺很美好。
M:是呢,我還是喜歡看來很隨意的東西。

R:但說不定製作者並沒有「隨意」的打算,說不定他們都盡了很大的努力!
M:當然了。他們定也很盡力地造。業餘的人盡力造的東西,有著難以言喻的魅力。

R:製作方法有時也充滿奇想。專業工匠看到,一定覺得難以置信吧。
M:對,對,對!有時我會得到啟發。

R:製作方法方面,大概也不少全憑想像,而非學習得來的技術,這跟你有點像。
M:像這輛生了鏽的貨車,車頭燈是以瓶蓋造成的,材料方面,說不定也是隨手抓來的馬口鐵的罐子。用木材造的話較易處理的地方,製作者則用了木材,但輪子竟然以很薄的馬口鐵或是鐵造成,平常可能會木材吧,製作者真的非常努力用心。若是我的話,說不定也不會用金屬造,即使有餘裕,可能會製作別的東西吧。

R: Perhaps people made things only to please themselves or the children instead of thinking about getting praised by the public. They must be having these people in mind during the creation process.
M: True. They could as well be items randomly created when they felt bored, or some craft items for their summer vacation assignment. I see the charm in the way they are made impulsively without attempting to achieve perfection.

R: Things impulsively created are beautiful
M: Indeed. I like things that appear as if they were made impulsively.

R: But it might not be the creators’ intention to be impulsive at all? Perhaps they have actually tried their best effort to make the piece?
M: Of course. I believe they have tried their very best. I always find it unexplainably charming seeing amateurs using their excellent effort to make things.

R: They also have surprising ways to create those works that the professional artisans would find unimaginable.
M: Definitely! I am sometimes inspired by that as well.

R: They made those things based on imagination instead of learned technique. I can see this in your creative process too.
M: Taking this rusty truck as an example; its headlights were made of beer caps. I guess the car body was probably made out of an opened tin can. Some other parts were made of wood as it would be easier. I was surprised to see the wheels made of tinplate or other metals since they were usually made of wood. The truck was unquestionably made with a lot of effort. I guess metal would not be my choice. Even if I had extras of those materials at hand, I would probably use them on something else.

R:這貨車原本的模樣是怎樣的呢,猜想的過程也很有趣。
M:是呢。現在已無法辨認車子本來的色彩了,因為時間久遠而長滿鐵鏽、變得破爛。它說不定受過風吹兩打,或給塵封在抽屜裡,所以車子的輪子有點歪了,卻因而富有動感,彷彿在行走般。現時的它該展現了製成之初截然不同的魅力吧,這些緩緩堆積而成的美感,也是舊物吸引人之處,是想模仿也難以模仿的。

R:你近年花不少心思在造一些看來廉價的東西,而製作那種風格的作品,往往需要更高的技術、更多的時間。花同樣的精神,大概能造出看在任何人眼裡都很高價高級的作品吧。我覺得要實踐你現時的風格,定需要很堅定的決心。你覺得這決心,跟你收集的東西有否直接的關連呢?
M:回想起來,我在很久以前便有造「看似廉價」的東西的想法了,但在收藏這些東西的過程裡,信心增加了不少。感到自己果然是喜歡這類風格的東西的,對它們的魅力也變得更有信心了。當然,像茶托等茶具,只要放在合適的空間裡,還是充滿魅力的。

R: It must be interesting trying to imagine how this truck once looked like.
M: Agreed. The original color of the truck is now indistinguishable as it is covered by rust and so worn-out. It could have been damaged by rain and wind, or been lying around in a drawer covered with dust. The wheels got a little tilted. The truck looks as if it is in movement thanks to this imperfection. I believe it has a wholly different charm now when compared to how it was first made. The aesthetics of an object can be slowly accumulated with time, this is precisely why I found used items fascinating; they possess a kind of charisma that cannot be replicated.

R: In recent years, you have been spending a lot of effort in making things that intend to look cheap. However, these pieces usually require a higher level of technique and a lot more time to create. With this amount of energy spent, you could have made things that would be generally considered valuable. I believe it requires dedication to achieve your artistic style, do you think this dedication is related to your habit of collecting things?
M: Now I come to think of it, the idea of making things that “look cheap” has always been lingering in my mind. I have gained a great deal of confidence by collecting stuff. The process made me understand this was the style I genuinely admire and hence greater confidence in its charm. Objects like a saucer can always be captivating as long as it is placed in the right atmosphere.

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金森正起 Masaki Kanamori
1975.出生,兒時居於山上由父親建造的家中。
Born and spent his childhood in a mountain house built by his father.
1981.小學時期,搬到名古屋郊外。不時於日出時,獨自到湖邊釣魚,親自用鋼湯匙造魚餌。得到一把木手柄的折刀,嫌棄其光滑的木面,用砂紙將它磨舊,覺得偶爾被油沾污的刀柄好美。
Moved to Nagoya suburb and studied primary school there. He used to go pond fishing at dawn. He would make baits with a metal spoon. In the same year, Kanamori received a pocket knife with a wooden handle. Not satisfied with the smoothness of the wooden handle, he gave it a rough look using sandpaper. He sometimes found the handle of the knife beautiful when it was covered with grease.
1987.在山中發現疑是防空洞的洞穴,邀朋友拿著火把前往探險。
Discovered a cave that could be an air raid shelter. He lit a torch and explored the cave with his friends.
1992.迷上滑雪板,大學時常驅車往雪山,白天滑雪,晚上路宿車上。畢業後給自己一年時間,獨自往日本東北居住,專心滑雪。
Fascinated by snowboarding while studying at university. Kanamori often drove to the snowy mountains where he did snowboarding during the day and slept in the car at night. Upon graduation, he spent a year to live in northeastern Japan alone to pursue snowboarding.
1998.開始訪尋岐阜造農家道具的鍛造,並與鐵工藝相遇。
Visited various forging workshops in Gifu Prefecture that specialized in making farming tools, Kanamori got to understand the art of metal making.
2001.成為鐵工藝家松岡信夫的弟子。開墾了自己細小的農田,並且開始於表參道擺地攤,賣自己手作的首飾。
Became an apprentice of the metal artist Nobuo Matsuoka. Kanamori began growing in his small piece of farmland, he also started selling his handmade accessories along Omotesandō.
2004.為了探索自己想造的東西而自立。由於一直嚮往農村生活,故往岐阜縣恵那市,加入森林公園,當了一年植林工人。其後取得古董商的牌照。
Began to work on his own to better explore his personal style. Moved to the city of Ena in Gifu Prefecture. Driven by his passion for rural life, he spent one year working as a planter in the national park of the city. Kanamori later obtained an antique dealer’s license.
2006.於名古屋郊外建立了自己的工房。開始於日本全國藝廊,如Gallery Yamahon、百草、Gallery Nao Masaki等舉辦個展。
Set up his private workshop in rural Nagoya. Kanamori began to have solo exhibitions in Gallery Yamahon, Galerie Momogusa, Gallery Nao Masaki and other venues.
2014.購入小學時常去探險的森林及廢墟,打算親自改裝成居所。
Purchased the woodland and deserted land where he frequently visited as a primary school child. Kanamori planned to convert the land into his residence.
2017.結婚。
Married.
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