Pyrex glass is often used in scientific experiments. It handles sudden changes in temperature well, and can be formed into a multitude of shapes. Bongaichinyo(Koichi and Mami) is a pair of young artists who use pyrex as their main medium. They are always trying new things with their unique style of glass art.
Interviewed by Takafumi Suzuki
Translated by Claire Tanaka
How did you get into pyrex glass art in the first place?
I was born and raised in Otsuka ward, Tokyo. After I graduated high school, the first place I worked for was Coca-Cola. My job was to keep the vending machines stocked. I did that for a year. After that, my dad got me a job doing cash transport at the shipping company that he worked for. The pay was really good, and I did that job for six years. By that point, I think I was about 25 years old. I started to get really depressed. I kept thinking, do I really want to keep doing this job forever? With that frame of mind, every day was just a drag. I just kept asking myself, what do I really want to do? Then, right around that time, my friend gave me a three-dimensional mushroom encased in glass. When I saw it, I thought, “That’s what I want to do!” And that’s how I got interested in this.
Could you give me a brief explanation of what pyrex glass is exactly?
Pyrex is the material that is used to make the beakers and flasks used in scientific experiments. It’s heat-resistant glass. We heat it to over 2500 degrees centigrade, then knead it and stretch it and mix various minerals in. That’s how we can get different colors. Then, when the temperature goes down, a pattern emerges. The beauty of this glass is in the way it reflects light, the transparency, and the unusual refraction of light.
How did you learn to work with pyrex?
When I first decided I wanted to learn how to do this, I had no idea where to go to study, but then my friend told me about a place called Spiral Arts in Toyama prefecture, and I went to see them. After I went, I found out that the person there was the first one to bring pyrex glass art to Japan. I went to the shop a few times and started to get to know the people there. I got to know the main craftsman, Mr. Takahashi, personally, and I decided he was a trustworthy fellow. That’s when I decided, “If I study under him, it’ll be alright.” And I asked to be allowed to apprentice at the shop.
So you threw away your city life to go live in the country.
I was born and raised in Tokyo, but I’d always wanted to try living in a variety of places, so I had no reservations about moving to Toyama prefecture. I knew I would need some money while I was studying, so I saved up before I went. Then, what I was most grateful for was that once I acquired a certain degree of skill I was allowed to teach students at Spiral Arts and Mr. Takahashi paid me a bit of a wage. I also worked part-time at a karaoke parlor. In the end, I lived in Toyama for a total of three years, and I was somehow able to make ends meet for the whole time.
What a romantic lifestyle, just going with the flow.
I also met my partner Mami at the workshop. Mami also sought it out because she wanted to learn how to work in pyrex. She stayed for three weeks. At first, we had a teacher-student relationship, and we became partners much later, after Mami had already gone home to Izumo. So at first, it was a long-distance relationship. We were talking one day and eventually we came to the idea of starting a workshop in Mami’s hometown of Izumo. Mami’s father works in interior decorating, and he was a big supporter of our idea to make a workshop, so that was a huge influence.
How are you able to be so decisive about things?
After I lived in Toyama, I still wanted to try living in a variety of different places, and timing-wise, Shimane prefecture just seemed right. Mami said “There will be lots of bad things popping up like walls, but lots of good things opening up like roads too.” And I believe it. I feel that if I do what I want, then people will come along to support that.
The glass glows red in the darkness
The shiny ball looks good enough to eat!
Forming a perfectly round ball
Cutting the glass
So, do you have anything you are particularly fastidious with in your work?
Personally, I try to make a strong center in my work. Piercing through the very centre of the work is the thing I try hardest to achieve. I go through so many processes to arrive at the final product. If I make the slightest mistake, if I can’t draw a good line, then even if I get the right shape in the end, it’s not good enough to sell. The combinations of patterns and colors are endless. Our customers have started developing more sophisticated taste, so I think we’ll have to try and create more new designs.
Lastly, what kind of activities are you planning on doing with your pyrex glass art in the future?
Right now, we are in the process of building our customer base. We have our products in shops, we do a booth at events, and we sell to people we meet. We’re going to make a website soon. If we do that, we’ll be able to sell our glass online as well. As for the future, I’d like to be able to teach glass art to a wide range of people, young and old, while making my own glass art to sell as well. Make it ourselves, and sell it ourselves. That’s always been the basic pattern for us so far. I’d like to build our sales channels and increase the number of shops that sell the things we’ve made.
Pyrex Glass Studio”Bongaichinyo“
Itadu, Koryo-cho, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture
Bongaichinyo(Koichi & Mami)
Born in 1979 and 1984, respectively. Pyrex glass artists.
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PingMag MAKE is the sister site to PingMag. We use an interview format to put the spotlight on a wide range of people active in rural areas. We document the voices of these unknown heroes and broadcast them to the world. It’s the Japan-based magazine about people and making things, coming out once a week. We’re passing on the passion, ideas, skills, and life stories of people who are building today and exploring tomorrow: craftsmen, engineers, entrepreneurs, and inventors. Stay tuned!
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I am student in fine art…from Istanbul…I liked your works…Have a great life….
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