Like a sugar-coated gummy candy

with a mouthful bitten off - Baku Takahashi’s glassware.

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高橋漠的玻璃作品,像從水面升起的犄角,形狀怪奇而圓渾,像一群柔軟無害的傢伙。有著讓人過目不忘的色感,圓弧的部分是霧面,所有切口則光滑剔透,每一顆也很像外面裹了一層白砂糖的軟糖,被咬了一口。

The glass sculptures of Baku Takahashi look like horns arising from water. Regardless of the bizarre appearance, the glass arts he made look mellow and innocent attributed to their plump shapes. Not only are their outlines one of a kind, but the choice of color also leaves the viewers a vivid impression. While a matt finishing is applied on the round surfaces, the seamed edges look smooth and shiny. Each piece simply looks like a sugar-coated gummy candy with a mouthful bitten off.

他擅長徒手吹製,即在燒製玻璃的過程裡不使用模具塑形,而是在高溫下、玻璃半溶化的最柔軟瞬間,利用長夾、鐵剪等工具,創造出心中的形狀。高橋漠會在製作前畫很多草圖,再從中挑選幾個有趣的形狀進行延伸變化,成品卻總是無法預測。「雖說最後的形態是一開始無法想像的,但我想它們都是某時某地有過的體驗,然後在我創作時被喚醒也說不定。我非常著迷於經由這種過程去思考種種造型這件事。」過往曾經在大自然看過的形態、各類影像或其他人的創作,一直以圖像的形式穩存於他的記憶。

Takahashi is particularly strong in blowing glass without using a mold. When the glass reaches the half-molten state under high heat, he then shapes them into a different form using tweezers and shears. When preparing for new work, Takahashi usually draws quite a few drafts. Then from these drafts, he would pick some of the shapes that interest him before using them as the blueprints of his design, which often leads to an unexpected final product. “Although I can never foresee how the end product would look like, I believe they all came from some of my forgotten memories that were awaken during the creative process. I am obsessed with developing the ideal shapes through this formulating process.” The sceneries he has seen in nature, the images that once flashed in front of him, as well as the works by other artists are all quietly stored in his memory.

曾經花了五、六年時間不斷嘗試和失敗,現在才能讓雙手跟上內心。「我每天都在接觸著玻璃這個素材,有時會不經意地發現之前未察覺的玻璃表情或現象。我總是試著將那時的感動表現在作品上。」

After five to six years of repeated trials and failures, Takahashi finally feels his hands are in sync with his mind. “Every day, I have close contact with glass as my medium of creation. I would sometimes discover nature and changes in the glass as a material that I was not aware of before. I always try to express my emotion from these moments through my designs.”

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高橋漠在2016與和田朋子成立了玻璃品牌「透明 toumei」,徒手吹製平易近人的日常器物,相信「任何東西也得靠雙手努力」。在家鄉福岡設立的工房,由舊民宅自行改建,包括燒製玻璃時使用的窯爐也是兩人親手建成。

Together with Tomoko Wada, Baku Takahashi founded the glassware brand TOUMEI in 2016. The brand specializes in everyday items made of blown glass with the motto of “everything needs to be achieved by manual effort”. The two transformed an old residential house into a workshop in their hometown Fukuoka. From the glassware to the glass blowing kiln, the two founders have put in their manual efforts to build and create everything from scratch.

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