Makunouchi Bento (Bento Box with Assorted Items)
When I exhibit my work, my chief concerns are always which items to sell and how to display them. In my exhibition this month, I tried something new: wooden display fixtures. There was extra space on the wall, so I spread my scarves out and hung them there. I found that a different presentation style affected how the scarves looked—the scarves' patterns were highlighted as though they were paintings.
Working as a textile designer involves constant exploration. From the first encounter with materials to the completion of a scarf, the process of creation combines knowledge, skill, and experimentation. When I started my career thirty years ago, I expressed myself through dyeing polyester fabrics, printing, pleating, and shibori (tie-dye). Then I started working with silk twenty years ago, followed by cashmere ten years ago, and I developed various expressive and technical methods. My clients’ requests also keep adding up. I keep telling myself, “Do not be a makunouchi bento”—this is a warning to myself that a thing tends to be pointless if there's an excessive assortment of contents inside. But my artistic desire to create something new continues unabated, and client requests haven’t stopped. I’m not good at narrowing down my offerings, and I’m not willing to say no to my clients’ requests, either. I really want to fulfill their requests, no matter how hard they are!
On the other hand, it is also true that my signature scarves have lost a bit of the spotlight as the variety of my scarves has increased. At shows, it is my sense that some of the most popular exhibition booths highlight specific items. It is time for me to really think about how to present the essence of my work.
Makunouchi bento boxes, however, which started out with only onigiri (rice balls), have kept increasing their contents, adding pickles and other side dishes one by one, and now they have everything we might possibly want to eat, such as tamagoyaki (omelets) and deep-fried and simmered dishes. Each item could have a leading role, but the bento features an assortment of confident dishes. As for my work, perhaps I can continue making scarves, each of which can be a main dish.
Yuh Okano, 12.2021
