つくり、生き、絡み合う。Make, Live and Get Entangled.

神戸市の北端、国の重要文化財にも指定される三重塔と薬師堂を有する岩嶺山石峯寺の近くに、陶芸家の十場天伸と十場あすかが営む「つくも窯」はある。同じ窯を名乗りながらも、2人の作風は大きく異なるもの。制作において互いに干渉したり、協業することはまったくない。

Tenshin Juba and Asuka Juba run their Tsukumo Kiln at the north end of Kobe. It is close to the Shakubu-ji Temple with its hall to the Buddha of Medicine and three-storey Pagoda, both registered as national Important Cultural Properties. They share the kiln name, but pursue their different creative styles, not intervening or collaborating.

「互いの展覧会で、はじめて見る作品もあって『へぇ、こんなものつくっていたんだ』と驚くことも。家族として同じ場所、すごく近い関係で過ごしているからこそ、仕事上では絡まないのが、私たちにとっては当たり前の姿なのかもしれない」

そうつぶやくあすかに、天伸も素直にうなずく。京都伝統工芸専門学校で出会った2人は、卒業後、作家や窯元に師事することなく独立。同時に子供ができたこともあり、生きるためにとにかく作品をつくり続けるしかなかったと当時を振り返る。

「互いに学校で基本は学んだものの、どこにも所属しなかったので、作家として目指すべき正解が何なのかは分からない。でもそもそも、人はそれぞれ違っていて当然。納得できるまで、試行錯誤を重ねるしかない」

子育てのために、一時はあすかが制作から離れていた時期もあったが、当初から2人の制作は、窯も材料も含め、すべて別々。無駄と思われることにもあえて挑戦し、他者の存在を許容しながら、自身の失敗から新しい知識や気づきを得て、次に目指すべき道をただ素直に辿ってきた。

‘An exhibition might be the first time we see each other’s work,’ says Asuka, ‘we think “Wow! I’ve not seen that before.” There can be surprises. It’s become natural for us to avoid involvement in each other’s work, though we spend a lot of time together as a family.’

Tenshin just nods. The two met at the Traditional Arts College of Kyoto. On graduation, each went independent, though they had no experience and had never undergone apprenticeships, nor worked in a kiln. They soon had children, and needed to keep producing to make ends meet. They often look back on those days.

‘We learned the basics at school, but lacked the experience gained from working in someone else’s kiln. Even now we still do not quite know what we are seeking as creators, nor what the correct answers to our questions might be. However, everyone starts out differently and has to find their own solutions by trial and error. That’s the only way forward.’

At one point Asuka had to take time off for child-care, but from the outset the couple had separate kilns, and kept their materials apart. They dared to challenge things that might not seem reasonable. They fully accept each other in such experimentation, sincerely following their respective path, gaining knowledge and experience, learning from mistakes and realisations.

どれほどうまく形づくっても、窯に入れて焼成をかけると想像とはまったく違う仕上がりになってしまう。先を読みきれないところこそが陶芸の難しさであり、魅力だと2人は語る。

「窯に託さなければいけない部分があるとしても、努力を怠らず先へと進み、最後は自身が見極める。自然の力と自分の力をぶつけ合い、勝負を重ねる。そのためには、焚き続けなくちゃいけない」

新しい感覚、感性で土と向き合う。その一端にWONDER FULL LIFE、COUNTER POINTとの協業がある。ただえさえ不確定な陶芸の世界に、異なるフィールドで活動する大脇千加子、細矢直子、菊地流架が加わったクリエーションはまさに暗中模索の連続だ。

Even perfectly-moulded objects may turn out unexpectedly on firing. The impossibility of complete prediction, both agree, is the difficulty, but also the fascination of pottery.

‘To some extent you leave things up to the kiln. But you still mustn’t stop making efforts from your own side. In the end, we have to make judgement ourselves. There is a repeated struggle between the power of nature and our own strengths. We just go on with the firing.’

They envisaged their collaboration with Counterpoint project of Wonder Full Life as a means to approach clay through new sensations and sensitivities. A creative team of Chikako Owaki, Naoko Hosoya, Luka Kikuchi, all from different fields, added something fresh to the already-uncertain world of ceramic creation. Together, they grope forwards as if in darkness.

「目的を決めずに、彼女たちと一緒に手を動かしていく。そうすると、土とばかり向き合ってきた僕たちが、意外と気づいていなかったり、見落としていたりすることが、たくさんあることも分かってくる」

海辺に転がる石を集めて家に飾ってみると、空間が生き生きと豊かになる。そんな見立ての感覚にも似ているという。

WONDER FULL LIFEでは、日頃別々に創作する十場天伸と十場あすかが、一つのまとまりのなかに映る。表立っては見えない美しい調和、人と人、そして自然とが間接的に及ぼす作用、それぞれの存在の必要性。すべてのものが絡み合い、次なる波を起こしていく。

‘We kept moving our hands together with the collaborators. We still worked in clay, but creating with others, and having no clear goals, made us aware of many things. We realise we were missing a lot, and overlooking much.’

Collecting pebbles on the beach and using them for home decorations. An existing space is renewed, becoming vibrant and rich. Such sensations, they say, have been gained from this collaboration.

Although they normally work independently, At Wonder Full Life, Tenshin and Asuka Juba merged into a unit. This generated a beautiful harmony that might not have come about otherwise, though workings were indirect between people, and between people and nature. The elements were needed in conjunction. They entangled and provoked new waves.