Kelly Lamb
ケリー . ラム Los Angeles, USA · Art & Design瀬戸内島、京都
Kelly Lamb
Kelly Lamb at her Los Angeles studio
Rei Naito and Ryue Nishizawa, Teshima Art Museum (photo by Kelly Lamb)
Kelly Lamb is a Los Angeles-based Artist - Designer. In early Spring, she enlisted Taketombo to help with her Tokyo, Kyoto & Naoshima travel planning and specific craft research work relating to incense and wabi tea ceremony. We arranged to have her experience Japan's incense culture, from material to methodology and ritual. Kelly shares her Taketombo experience with us:
As an artist and designer I've always been inspired by and drawn to Japan and its long traditions of art, craftsmanship and specific aesthetics. As I develop new work my process is informed by research and experience and I knew I was due for an extended immersion into Japanese culture and several specific craft traditions.
The art islands of Naoshima piqued my interest and I wanted to structure my trip around exploring them as well as spending time in Tokyo and Kyoto. It was important to me to seek out both important historic and cultural sites-- gardens, palaces, and temples-- as well as to meet and experience working craftspeople and have direct experiences with materials and techniques.
Walter de Maria at Benesse (photo by Kelly Lamb)
Being introduced to Mikki and her unique, educated, and deeply connected way of crafting bespoke experiences, was a real game-changer in terms of being able to bring my goals for the trip to fruition. While I had traveled in Japan before, the number of places I wanted to visit and specific types of research I wanted to do, made the logistics of planning more complicated.
Mikki was organized, smart, and adaptable to my requests and gave me valuable insider information, practical advice, and connected me with exactly the types of artisans and experts I was looking for. Her attention to details, ability to communicate clearly about etiquette and cultural nuances were incredibly helpful and allowed me to delve deeply and mindfully into my travel and study.
Her connections to working artists and craftspeople, and understanding of the various traditions unique to specific regions of Japan, opened up new possibilities for my research and immersion.
Wabi cha & incense experience
"A highlight of the experience was a traditional tea ceremony conducted by a true master. The actual process and ritual of the ceremony was profound and beautiful. It was also made more meaningful, edifying, and relevant because the person conducting the ceremony took care to explain the historical social context and significance of drinking tea ritually. The levels of hierarchy and related protocols of Japanese society were highlighted, and the new layer of understanding the ceremony as an egalitarian space, were unexpected takeaways for me." - Kelly L.
I can't speak highly enough of my experience working with Mikki and her skill and understanding as a docent and resource. For those interested in a curated, authentic, and unique experience, her skills and connections are invaluable.
- Kelly Lamb, Artist-Designer from Los Angeles
Thanks Kelly for her kind testimony. We look forward to continue our partnership in reinventing Crafts of Japan.
