Oryza Glass オリザガラス

In Japan, rice cultivation has given rise to rich cultural expressions such as dengaku and ritual ceremonies. At the same time, it has served as a foundation for land ownership, state systems, monetary economies, and capitalism, shaping modern society. While assisting with rice farming in the lower Tone River region, I sought to reclaim the original ‘colour’ of rice and glass—qualities lost in the pursuit of modernisation—by transforming rice husks into glass beads that retain the hues of their source materials.

However, through the process of making them, I became aware of the conflicting desires that emerge—such as the pursuit of efficiency and productivity—and the fact that glassmaking itself requires large amounts of energy. These realisations revealed the paradox that the beauty of these glass beads is also a product of human desire.

And yet, if these rice glass beads still possess a ‘beautiful colour’, what is it that they are trying to convey to us, living in contemporary society?

Oryza Glass

2024

Ibaragi, Chiba (Japan)

Glass made from rice husks, short story, speaker, collaged map using cyanotype

Short story can be read here (in Japanese): https://heyzine.com/flip-book/02a04d80eb.html