Yamamoto Motoi’s Saltworks 山本基

I started this blog to share things I can’t fit into my column in The Japan Times. I’ve got no shortage of material because my research inevitably leads into things that are fascinating but end up being off-topic by the time I sit down to write, or have to be pruned because of space limitations. Today I learned about something I know won’t make the final cut, but nonetheless deserves mention: the intricate, lacy “saltworks” of Japanese artist Yamamoto Motoi 山本基.

I haven’t got a prayer of getting to Charleston, South Carolina this summer, but if you’ll be there by July 7 go see Yamamoto’s exhibition “Return to the Sea” which just opened May 25 at the College of Charleston’s Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. The rest of us can console ourselves by looking at the videos: this 8-minute one about the Charleston installation, or this 11-minute one about Yamamoto’s work in general. It also touches a bit on salt in Japanese culture. Thanks to Takanashi Hiroki for the tip. And if you want to find out who he is, read my “So, What the Heck is That?” column in The Japan Times on June 19.