HAYASHI Nobuyuki
When I was a child, I felt the excitement I felt when I saw paper crafts.My encounter with Fukunaga Shiko revived this feeling in me as an adult. When I go to a shop where the company's works (products) are lined up, I have seen them many times and know them well, but when I look at them one by one again and see them with my friends, I end up telling them, "Do you know?"
If half of the secret that creates this excitement is the company's craftsmanship that processes paper with high quality without compromise, then the other half is working with various interesting creators to bring out new possibilities for paper that have never existed before. I think it's the spirit of continuing to take on challenges.
This spirit of challenge is most strongly reflected in the group of works from "Shikoushiten".
It's hard to choose one because I like all of them, but when I want to convey the charm of Fukunaga Print to others, CRACKED PAPER developed with Ms. Aya Kodama will instantly convey it.
While many other works draw out the overlooked characteristics of paper and show new possibilities, CRACKED PAPER is the exact opposite, aiming for the least "paper-like" appearance. Most of the people I showed it to couldn't tell right away that it was paper.
I can't even imagine how much trial and error was repeated between Fukunaga Shiko's sophisticated processing technology and Mr. Kodama. If they had compromised even a little bit, I don't think it would have looked as good as it has. Fukunaga Print feels that by creating this most unpaper-like piece of art, he has been able to push the possibilities of paper even further.
That's why I was introduced to Fukunaga Print's favorite product, "first of all", which I can't just pick and choose.
