In conjunction with the exhibition titled Roots of Metalcraft: Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata, Japan, students from SOAD attended a lecture on the history of metalcraft in Tsubame-Sanjo, and learned about the region’s legacy of metalworks and carpentry and its contemporary approach to keeping traditions alive for future generations.
A series of workshops were held for students to try their hands at knife sharpening, hand hammering a decorative copper plate and shaping a spoon by using a mould. Guidance on the techniques and tools aided the students in understanding the details of metal work.
Aligned with the aims of ISEAA, the programme showcased the roots of community through craft and shared the skills of a lineage going back to Japan’s influential Nanban trade and Tokugawa era (Edo period), a pivotal point in history which originally heralded in maritime exchanges and cultural connections with the region of Southeast Asia.
