A series of work produced during the 10-week residency at Tainan National University for the Arts in Taiwan ROC in fall 2010. The works were displayed at TNNUA with the title, "Made in Taiwan by Japanese from U.S.A." at the end of the residency as well as "East Meets West Meets East" at Baltimore Clayworks Gallery in March, 2011.
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Great conversations are started while serving and sharing various beverages; from morning coffee and afternoon tea to beer, wine, or bourbon in the evening. Inspired by reconnections with my old friends in Japan and the new friendship that I made with the people in Taiwan over serving and sharing various beverages, I spent my residency creating drinking vessels. I focused on surface embelishment and used traditional Japanese and Taiwanese design patterns of textiles and papers that I collected during the trip. As if wrapping a gift or wearing clothing, the ornamentation and celebration of the containment is meaningful for me. A viewer of my work becomes an active user through holding the vessel, feeling its surface, and nourishing their body with its contents. The time that I spend carving and finishing each piece bridges the time that the user spends developing the connections with others.