2016/Arita is an initiative conceived to boost the endangered porcelain industry in the Japanese town of Arita, thus preserving the deep-rooted, traditional knowledge of a precious craft. International designers have teamed up with local manufacturers to produce a collection of special objects for everyday use.
Studio Wieki Somers has collaborated with Koransha to create two tea sets that combine traditional crafts with advanced technology. The tea sets showcase the iconic ‘Koransha blue’ glaze and feature patterns inspired by an ancient decorative technique that employs metal stencils to spray motifs onto the surface. The studio adapted this technique and abstracted it - revealing the process in the pattern and thereby celebrating the craft. The traditionally used metal stencils are replaced by functional parts of the products, for example the lid of the teapot and the handle of the cup. The forms refer to one of Japan’s most iconic symbols: the moon.
