Contemplating Through the Lens of Jiro Kamata’s Optic Jewellery
“Throughout the process of viewing Kamata’s work, it felt as if the writer — as a viewer — and the visible light have become co-creators of the work in question, and that the viewer remains the sole audience of this exclusive optic spectacle.”
Dearest readers,
Many of you would’ve known from the previous tale that this writer is both an explorer and a practitioner in the universe of gemstone cutting. As a jewellery designer, I believe that gemstone is essential when it comes to jewellery and, more specifically, in the world of high jewellery where magnificent gemstones are often coupled with creative design and exquisite craftsmanship.
Over the past few years, my role as a high jewellery product strategist has been fuelled by my curiosity and an innate desire for new ideas, and I never cease to be on the lookout for inspiration in the realm of arts and culture. Speaking of stimulating works of art, I’m immediately reminded of a jewellery artist whose work I’ve been fortunate enough to see in person. The artist’s name is Jiro Kamata.
Voices Exhibition at ALIEN Art Centre
I first learned about Jiro Kamata and his work in the spring of 2020 when I travelled to ALIEN Art Centre in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan for his solo exhibition Voices; it was recommended by a dear friend who kindly accompanied me on this trip even though it was her second visit. Prior to this ‘expedition’, I didn’t look up the artist’s work online, nor did I have any idea of what to expect.
Voices is the first major exhibition of Jiro Kanata’s work in Taiwan. Throughout the past two decades, Kamata has been engaged in many aspects of ‘optic experience’ by adopting an array of techniques to explore new ways of expressing the concept of reflection. Born to a family of jewellers in the ancient city of Hirosaki in northern Japan, it’s perhaps destiny that Kamata was to play a role in the world of jewellery despite his reluctance in the first place.
Growing up surrounded by jewellery, it’s no surprise that this Munich-based Japanese artist was looking to create something that’s out of the ordinary. By adopting material other than gemstones, Kamata equally simulates the ‘characteristics’ or features of traditional jewellery in his work, and ingeniously invented a visual language of his own.
Inside Voices at ALIEN Art Centre
To the writer’s surprise, the one medium that dominates Kamata’s creation is ubiquitous in our daily lives but rare in wearable art: the camera lenses. For most of us, it is the camera lenses built in our phone that enable us to record, store and instantly share the special moments of our lives. When in possession of a traveller, these lenses would have travelled to every corner of the world or even to the deepest parts of the ocean. When used in telescope, these lenses would’ve witnessed millions of stars twinkling in distant galaxies. Yet, these lenses serve a totally different purpose in Kamata’s jewellery.
In the jewellery market, colour is a key factor in determining the value of coloured gemstones. With colour being the highest priority, the primary role of a stonecutter is to bring out the best colour of what a gemstone has to offer by managing the amount of light that enters and exist. In the same vein, Kamata’s creation exhibits colour through its reflective lenses which, due to its interaction with light, add colour, life, and an otherworldly brilliance to the jewellery.
BI Brooch by Jiro Kamata
Courtesy of Jiro Kamata
In the exhibition, the artist’s work is presented by collection, starting with some of his earliest works. I was impressed when I stumbled upon the “Bi Brooch” series whose surface displays fancy-coloured reflection when it’s being viewed from different angles. When I took a peek inside this brooch, I noticed that beneath the lenses lie layers of coloured films, on which round piercing of different sizes seem to evoke an infinite number of lenses. Who would’ve thought that the combination of only three types of material — dichroic filter, car-wrapping film and blackened silver — can give birth to something as captivating as such?
One of the writer’s favourite collections is titled “Palette”. On a Palette brooch, rectangular slices of dichroic filters are inserted to a white-coloured base. When viewed from a different angle, the refraction of light creates colourful spectacle on the brooch as if the colours have been poured onto a blank canvas. What makes this painting of light different from an ordinary painting, though, is that it’s constantly evolving and changing.
Throughout the process of viewing Kamata’s work, it felt as if the writer — as a viewer — and the visible light have become co-creators of the work in question, and that the viewer remains the sole audience of this exclusive optic spectacle.
Palette Brooch by Jiro Kamata
Courtesy of Jiro Kamata
Similar to the “Palette” collection is “Border”, dichroic filters of different shapes are placed on the same plane as the base of the brooch to create geometric composition. While less interaction of light is expected in a Border brooch, beautiful colour combination of these dichroic filters captivate the viewer’s attention, evoking an air of playfulness.
Undoubtedly, Kamata’s creation challenges the intrinsic value of jewellery and confronts the viewers’ perception of jewellery. In contrast to traditional jewellery whose value is often associated with the rarity of precious materials, the value of the artist’s jewellery lies in the moment, as well as the memory, of the viewers’ optic experience. To some extent, it’s up for the viewers to decide how far do they want to go about creating this spectacle of light and colour. And for how long.
Border Brooch by Jiro Kamata
Courtesy of Jiro Kamata
Besides these wonderful pieces of wearable art, it was interesting to see the display panels for these jewellery also share a similar characteristic as the artist’s work — its reflective nature not only reinforced Kamata’s jewellery but encouraged the viewers to look at the world around them through the lens of the artist.
Though it’s been more than a year since the writer last saw the artist’s jewellery creation, a myriad of kaleidoscopic experience continues to make an impression on me up to this day. This inventive endeavour has prompted me to contemplate on the real definition and value of jewellery in general. It wasn’t long before I realise that, after all, the value of anything — including jewellery — is in the eye of the beholder.
For those of you who are fascinated by Jiro Kamata’s work like I am, you can discover more by purchasing a copy of this trilingual exhibition catalogue here.