URUSHI × SKATE
Urushi is widely considered to be an expensive luxury item, difficult to maintain and easily damaged. Yet with a concept that is completely opposite, urushi can be profoundly enjoyable.
This is a skateboard which was coated with urushi and used for personal enjoyment. This of course means that it has suffered the normal wear and tear of use. Yet when other skateboarders see it, their reaction is invariably one of interest and appreciation. One and all, they seem to feel that the scrapes and other signs of use actually add to the atmosphere of the skateboard, and make it all the more appealing. All have expressed an interest in having an urushi-coated skateboard of their own.
In fact, one’s riding style when using the skateboard imparts a unique, personalized look to its appearance, leading to still greater feelings of attachment and pleasure. Those of us who work with urushi are well aware of the fact that, just as with leather goods and jeans, the wear and tear of use adds to the overall appeal of the material and the goods themselves. When I saw the reactions of these skateboarders however, I instantly realized that this understanding and appreciation can be passed on to people, especially young people, who might not otherwise know anything about urushi.
漆は高級品。扱いが難しい。傷つかないように気を使う…。
しかし、全く逆の発想で漆を楽しむことも出来る。
趣味で漆を塗ったスケートボード。
もちろん自分が普段遊ぶもの。使い込むうちに、当然劣化もするし、傷も入る。
これを見たスケーター仲間から意外な反応が。
「味があってかっこいい」「自分もほしい」。
使い込むことで生まれる独特の風合いや、自分だけのオリジナル、特別感、そしてそこから生まれる愛着。
漆を扱う私たちは、ジーンズや革製品のように、使い込んでこそ生まれる漆の魅力を知っているが、このスケーターの反応を見た時、漆を知らない、特に若い世代にもこの感覚は伝わる。と確信した瞬間だった。
