Strengthening contemporary glass links with Japan

CGS Chair Sarah Brown reviews her latest glass-focused visit to Japan – via Shanghai – a decade after her first trip in collaboration with the Naked Craft Project, which connects and strengthens ties between British and Japanese contemporary artists.

The Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) has partnered with the Naked Craft Project in Kobe, Japan for the past 10 years. Nobuyasu Yoshida, a glass artist based there who came to the UK to study glass at The University of Creative Arts – and became a member of CGS – has continued to forge an international connection to the UK through this project.

I was fortunate enough to be the first UK glass artist to go to Kobe in 2015, to run a glass workshop from his studio, and to show work in an exhibition of glass and ceramics at an immersive arts festival in Shin Nagata. It was an experience that has stayed with me ever since, and I hoped that one day I would be able to go back and be a part of it again.

Since then, CGS members Nina Casson McGarva, Griet Beyaert and Paul Miller and Yi Peng have travelled to Japan for a variety of residencies and events as a part of this project. We hope that other members will be able to participate in the future (possibly in 2027), but each year it depends how much funding is available.

Nobuyasu invited me to return to Kobe to celebrate the tenth anniversary along with glass artist Karen Browning. We exhibited in a fantastic exhibition at the Kobe Kitano Museum, alongside many artists from the UK and Japan. It was a joyful celebration of glass and international relationships. The opening featured speeches both in Japanese and English, canapes inspired by British and Japanese food and, of course, Sake and sparkling wine to celebrate the two nations, plus a pianist whose music mesmerised us.

Dominic Fonde, a CGS member who lives in Kobe, was there exhibiting his beautifully engraved glass art. It was lovely to meet him and the other glass artists, including  Yukiko Sugano and Chika Kato, as well as Carolyn Davidson, who is the British Consul General in Osaka.

Chinese highlights

Our trip to Japan was preceded by a stop in Shanghai, China, where we visited the Shanghai Museum of Glass. It was spectacular and immersive, sharing the science of glass and stunning pieces from a wide range of artists; everywhere you looked there was more to discover.

We also visited the Liuli Museum, where Karen’s piece ‘Double Take’ is part of the collection, which was lovely to see. We met Loretta Yang, an accomplished glass artist and one of the founders of the museum, and talked to her about the similarities and differences between working in glass in the UK compared to China, particularly the large-scale glass processing available to her in China. We were able to see her pieces up close, and hear about her inspirations and favourite pieces in her collection from a wide range of artists.

We then continued on to Kobe, meeting Nobuyasu and his friends for a tour around Kobe. We visited the Carpentry Museum and his studio and were able to appreciate so many different kinds of craftmanship. Of course, we also got to try Wagyu Beef, fresh tuna and okonomiyaki (a savoury pancake often called ‘Japanese pizza’), as a trip to Japan is not a trip to Japan without these!

We also had a little time to indulge my curiosity about Shokuhin Sanpuru, the fascinating fake food culture that uses silicone and other secret ingredients to create plates of realistic food that are displayed outside restaurants across Japan. We visited Design Pocket in Osaka, which was filled to the rafters with all sorts of different foods, from ramen to melon balls, burgers to jam on toast. We also had a go at making some ourselves. I created a fruit parfait and Karen made sushi. It was quite refreshing to be creating food from slightly easier materials than the glass I use myself!

We rounded off the trip with visits to Kyoto and Tokyo, both of which were filled with so much food and creative experiences. We went to Toyusu Fish Market to the Tuna Auction, TeamLab Planets Immersive digital experience, to shrines and temples as well as some wonderful art shops.

Our time there was just not long enough, but we returned bursting with ideas for new work, and a longing to experience more of the creative scene of Japan in the future.

I hope that we can continue to strengthen this international connection with Japan in the future, and look forward to seeing Nobuyasu and some of the other artists at different glassy events across the world.

Main feature image: Karen Browning (left) and Sarah Brown with their fake food creations, made at Design Pocket in Osaka. All photos courtesy of Sarah Brown, unless otherwise noted.