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Bamboo: Tradition, Function, Style

by Emilia Garvey

Waves crash silently against the walls of Faulconer Gallery.

A green bird's nest sits on the floor.

An oversized tea whisk casts soft shadows. Both delicate and strong, these objects speak quietly but are made from a big stick.

The current exhibit in Faulconer Gallery, "Hin: The Quiet Beauty of Japanese Bamboo Art," contains 37 pieces by 37 contemporary Japanese artists and artisans spaced out on low pedestals, on simple tables, in corners and near to the floor. Some pieces look like mathematical equations put into practice, others vaguely resemble body parts. Some appear to be functional flower baskets, while others defy description.

But they are all made in the same medium, with the same discipline. Though the pieces are sturdy and perfectly proportioned, the artists use no glues, adhesives or measuring tape in the process. Bamboo baskets have been made in Japan for thousands of years and recently have come to be seen as a distinct art form.

Though the pieces in this collection draw upon a long craft tradition, each piece has its own character. In recent decades, craftwork has lost some of its Japanese market to mass-manufactured products. American collectors have supported artists and artisans by collecting bamboo crafts as art, and the nature and functionality of the pieces vary accordingly.

Bamboo art "is a testament to the cultural attitudes that make such demanding work possible," said Donald Doe, Art, one of the co-curators of the exhibit. "At the same time, these pieces can be read by anybody."

The diversity of pieces in the show reflects the history of bamboo weaving. Some are made by members of the Japanese Crafts Association, others by members of the Japanese Fine Arts Association and some by independent artists. "Lots of these artists don't have formal arts education," said Rob Coffland, another co-curator and gallery owner from New Mexico. "You can't figure out who's who, and that makes it that much more astonishing."

For eight years, Coffland has searched out Japanese bamboo art for collectors. Doe ambled into Coffland's Tai Gallery in Santa Fe, where some of his finds were displayed, and was moved.

"I spent a long time looking at their technical brilliance and variety," said Doe. "I saw eight or 10 pieces, and that was enough to convince me that some kind of exhibit should come to Grinnell." Doe discussed the idea with Coffland, and the exhibit began to come together.

After several phone calls, 18 of Coffland's art collector clients loaned pieces. The pieces made their way to Faulconer Gallery in simple birch boxes, which are incorporated as pedestals in the exhibit.

Milton Severe, the exhibit designer, incorporated these boxes with grey walls and intense lighting to put together a dramatic, spare display. "I was conscious of a traditional Japanese aesthetic in arranging the pieces," said Severe. "Without aping that, I tried to let it guide me."

With the distinct aesthetic of bamboo art in mind, Severe put a lot of thought into the arrangement of the exhibit. "Because there were no lighting requirements for this show, I could blast the pieces with light and make them very dramatic," he said. "Some of them cast very striking shadows."

Adding to the air of purpose in the exhibit, he arranged the gallery into different sections with dividing walls. "These walls are a nod to Japanese shoji screens, and I tried to keep the flow harmonious from one section to the next." he said.

Severe planned for a tatami mat, upon which the piece "Born" by Monden Yuichi is set, as a space for visiting artists to perform and do demonstrations in the gallery. "We don't make spaces like this for most exhibits, but this lent itself to that," said Severe.

Many events are planned to take place in this space and around the art building. Nakatomi Hajime, one of the bamboo artists in the exhibit, will visit as an artist in residency. While here, he will also visit Grinnell Japanese classes, local public school classes and the Japan-America Society in Des Moines.

He will be part of a Japan Festival in the Bucksbaum Rotunda on Feb. 25, which will feature other interactive events. Koto player Joanna Pecore will give a demonstration, and visitors will be able to make onigiri, or rice balls wrapped in bamboo leaves.

Finally, an ikebana, or Japanese flower arrangement, master from Chicago will give a demonstration and a workshop in March. "At these events, anybody with an interest in Japanese culture can get a glimpse of it," said Curator of Education at Faulconer Gallery Karla Neihus. "The visiting artists are carrying on traditional practices and adjusting them to a contemporary world."

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