Following the "Dohoku Activity Caravan" held from April 24 to 26, north by north's second event, "A Day Spent Facing Wood, Together with Shimokawa Woodworking Artist Kenji Usuda and YASU," has come to a successful close.
Following the “Dohoku Activity Caravan” held from April 24 to 26, north by north’s second event, “A Day Spent Facing Wood, Together with Shimokawa Woodworking Artist Kenji Usuda and YASU.” has come to a successful close.
From the morning of the day, at “Teshigoto Space Tekuteku” in Shimokawa, which also serves as the workshop of Mr. Usuda and YASU, participants who had gathered from all over Hokkaido worked under their guidance. The adults made cutting boards, while the children made spoons.
The children began by sketching designs onto the wood according to whatever image they liked, and YASU carefully explained how to handle the machines and work with the wood, so they were able to enjoy the process.
For the adult participants, it turned out that the initial design was actually the most head-scratching part. Wondering “What shape makes a good cutting board?” or sketching designs inspired by the things they personally love, each person’s individual sensibility made for a truly fascinating time.
Cutting and shaving the wood, then sanding it and finishing it with oil. Throughout this whole sequence of steps, we were able to experience the two artists’ meticulous approach to their craft, making it a day full of discoveries.
For lunch that day, we enjoyed food from Suzume Kitchen, which operates inside the same Tekuteku building. It was a delicious lunch made with local ingredients, including eggs from Abe Poultry Farm and namaage (thick deep-fried tofu) from Kitatsumugi Shoten.
Then, from the evening, the participants in this event and members connected with north by north gathered at a venue in Shimokawa, where a meal once again centered on ingredients gathered from the surrounding region was held. As before, those joining for the first time were excited about the connections born from these activities, and the conversation stayed lively late into the night.
This time, the event combined craft-making and food, while the previous one combined a variety of experiences spanning the outdoors, culture, food, and agriculture. For our next event, we are planning one focused specifically on food. We will announce the details again on the north by north website and the north by north Instagram.