Questions and Answers

［Takeda］ I think it’s a very good opportunity for today’s audience to ask each juror questions. Please feel free to ask them anything.

［Audience1］ I am a student of the Toyama City Institute of Glass Art. I graduated from Undergraduate Course and now I’m a student of Advanced Level Course. “The International Exhibition of Glass Kanazawa” drew various pieces of the world. I wonder what the atmosphere or trend of glass art is. If you grasp that, please let me know.

［Harcuba］ It is an interesting question. That’s what I would like to know. In Germany every five years a major exhibition of art, Documenta is held. It is organized by different people each time. Gallery owners and other people would like to know what tendencies are and what can be expected because it’s also about money, what we can sell. And they answered there is nothing like tendencies, only vibrations. And they also said vibration is energy of the artists. This is the only thing we have. No tendencies. In 50’s and 60’s, artists complained, “Today everything is possible. How can we know what to do?” So now time has come when everybody can do what he likes. It is his own responsibility, his own inspiration from the past and from different parts of the world. It’s more difficult. There were styles in the 19th century. Everybody was working in style. Art Nouveau and later Pre-Modern came. The latest is Post-Modern. It doesn’t exist any more. Maybe later historians will find out we are living in a time which has also style. We don’t know.

［Christensen］ I very much agree to Professor Harcuba. When you see this exhibition, there are many pieces of modern glass art showing individuality of artist. There has been education where teachers were saying “You must do so.” Today, I think, young artists in many countries feel themselves forced to be individualists. That is permitted. But at the same time you also have inspiration. You look back to the past and consider what was going on 50 years ago or 80 years ago. You must go forward without sticking to the past. Don’t care too much about trends of the world. I think it’s more important for you to continue to create your own works by valuing the fact that you are a Japanese glass artist.

［Takeda］ For example, how is the studio glass today in the US? I’d like to ask Mr Carlson.

［Carlson］ Good question. My comment about the last question would be that if we are really educated artists, education is formal and it is also because of just your exposure to art. Then you are well-informed. We know where we have been. And that may direct and will direct where we might be going. So the idea though is if we are going to expect anything and we should expect unexpected if we are indeed creative inventors with this material and with our concepts. Let me mention, with regards of the US and the young artists and the middle-aged artists and even some more guys, there is still struggle to figure out where glass fits in. Certainly there is much more acceptance. And visibility of glass is very strong. And opportunities are abundant. But within the group I think there is still a tussle or battle between taking glass to a really exploratory end which is conceptually driven and makers of the objects in glass though more formal, historical interpretation of glass. There is room for both. I think both have healthy components and applicants. And I would hope that battles won’t continue because it is not either war. There really is a plenty of room for us to bring the 21st century to the glass with one foot in the past as the history wouldn’t warm us and one foot in the future with things we have yet really imagine.

［Yokoyama］ I think it necessary to get to know various movements. But I think it’s better for you not to care about what others say to you or what you have seen. I’m sorry that I was a little too late in realizing this. When I was younger, I cared too much about what others said to me.