I studied sculpture at Kanazawa College of Art, where she graduated and worked as an assistant for a year. After studying abroad in Germany for several years, I moved to Okinawa in 2017, where I established a DIY studio and residence in Okinawa City. There, I focuses on production and various creative activities. To explore more intuitive ways of sharing, she is currently continuing her research while attending graduate school at IAMAS.
I'm making tools(mainly crafts) for daily life using indigenous plants and also creating community-based workshops.I've been researching the properties of plants and people's use of plants, working as Sonda Studio.
In the course of my daily work with “shell ginger, which is a common and native plant in Okinawa.
I'm interested not only in the techniques of artisan and handicrafts using the plant, but also in the relationship between the plant and the local people, and my interest in WS is growing year by year in my activities.
WS as an autonomous act that generates a sensual exchange and dialogue with the materials and the local people, rather than simply a 'learn/teach' structure of contemporary society.
Yoshimoto Azusa
- Contact person :
- 吉本 梓
Last update : 16 Apr. 2025
Works
Shell-Ginger Handicrafts / ©︎azusayoshimoto (2017- )
Using "shell ginger," a common native plant in Okinawa, I create tools (mainly crafts) for daily life using indigenous plants and also organize community-based workshops.
Okinawa Arts Council Grant, 2023: Creating a booklet about shell-ginger / ©︎azusayoshimoto
Researching shell-ginger and its uses for local people in Okinawa and Taiwan.
I discovered that Taiwan has many varieties of "shell ginger" and that indigenous people there use this plant extensively. This motivated me to visit Taiwan and continue conducting fieldwork.
Shimadakara Art Festival 2022, Uruma, Okinawa, Japan / ©︎azusayoshimoto
Material: Teruma beag (a plant used to make Ryukyu tatami mats)
About 30 artists specializing in contemporary art, design, food, and crafts presented a variety of works in collaboration with the islanders while commuting to the islands. While commuting to the islands and interacting with the local people for a month, I researched "Warazan," which was a system of record-keeping using knotted straw.