SHIKIORIORI – Weaving Colours and Getting Down to the Earth –

Based on activities on the themes of food, community, seasons and nature in Omonma and Takasu areas of Toride City, Ibaraki Prefecture, where the Toride campus of Tokyo University of the Arts is located, we are weaving the diverse ‘colours’ of Toride City under our feet into various media. This project creates an opportunity to go down to the ‘soil’ and rethink the place where you are standing.

The project has the following four pillars:

• Wild Plant Dyeing

Using wild plants from the Toride campus, a variety of colours are woven into the cloth used for picnics.

• Recipe creation

We interview farmers in Toride and develop original recipes using wild plants from the Toride campus.

• Goat clay vessel making

Participants will use soil containing faeces and urine from the two goats raised on the Toride campus and make vessels from it.

• SHIKIORIORI Picnic

On a grass-dyed rug, taste a dish created from original recipes by using goat clay dishes and feel the seasons, colours and soil of Toride with all the senses.

We held three picnics and two exhibitions in 2022 where locals enjoyed the time together in every season. We served locally foraged wild plants tea and sweets in a goat clay dish.

*This is a participatory project in collaboration with Kika Suzuki, supported by TOKYO GEIDAI “I LOVE YOU” project and Toride Art Project.

*’SHIKIORIORI’ is a Japanese term that can be translated to ‘season by season’ in English. It reflects the idea of experiencing and appreciating the changes that occur with each season. This term is often used to convey the beauty and variety of nature as it transforms throughout the year.