Travel & Transport
November 2021
Sugoi! – Craft Treasures
by Barbara Luel-Pecheur
“What struck me the most, from my first trip to Japan, are the everyday objects. They are so different from the ones we can find home! They can be found everywhere: in the street, in restaurants, in train stations or stores ... And it is sometimes hard to understand what they are immediately. Some of them are made with love and after hours of work, by passionate and meticulous craftsmen. With their amazing shapes, it is not always obvious to know what they can be used for. It is necessary to be interested more closely to Japanese culture to guess. They are like miniature monuments. Fascinated as I was, I wanted to collect them in my sketchbook. So, I brought them home with me.” For all the Far East lovers, the Japanese temples in Kyoto, the old traditional sliding-walled houses or museums Prints (ukiyo-e) are awesome places. But surprisingly what stood out the most the author of this book are everyday objects. During her numerous trips to Japan, Barbara Luel has gleaned all kinds of objects: for cooking, painting of her notebooks, decorations or to put on the table. This book presents around 80 handicrafts objects according to their use and their materials, all watercolor painted by Barbara. It evokes the different stages of the journeys and the region of origin of these objects across the main islands of the archipelago (Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku). The author, urban-sketcher and responsible for the movement in Brussels, gives precious "tips" to all her readers, who would like to embark on travelogue.
