Kahoru Sugimoto

 

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Born in 1979, currently living in Shiga Prefecture. Has been affiliated with Yamanami Koubou since 1998. When she first started working at Yamanami, the first task she did was making paper using milk cartons. Her role in this process was to take the paper fibers and roll them in the palm of her hand to make small balls. Now, more than 20 years later, this task has disappeared and her activities have changed, but to her, work still means the act of rolling the fibers with both hands. Now, the scope of her activities has expanded, and she uses paper cups to choose her favorite color and carefully stamp each one with a seal. The circles on the paper cups are stacked in various colors, resulting in a colorful finish. For her, the act of rolling the clay into balls and stamping them is considered work, and it is likely that this is what gives her a sense of accomplishment, fulfillment, and motivation.

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Born in 1979, residing in Shiga Prefecture and a member of ATELIER YAMANAMI since 1998. The first job Sugimoto was given at ATELIER YAMANAMI over 20 years ago was making paper out of empty milk cartons. During this paper-making process, she was also required to process the fibers of the paper into tiny balls by rolling them in her palms. Things have changed since then, including the task of papermaking. However, Sugimoto continues to perceive creating tiny balls from other materials as her job. In addition to this job, Sugimoto has also started to paint circles using the rims of paper cups. Sugimoto may choose to use multiple colors or a single color depending on her mood, but no matter the color selection, her circles are always carefully arranged so that each circle overlaps with one another. To Sugimoto, making tiny balls and painting circles are both important jobs as they reward her with a feeling of accomplishment and motivation.