Discovery and Discernment.
Exhibition of Akiu stone at the exhibition space of bookstore in Roppongi .The Akiu area of Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, is known as a hot spring resort. Akiu stone is mined there. It is a type of tuff, a rock formed by condensation of volcanic ash and ejecta. It is classified in the same category as the famous Ohya stone, but has a completely different appearance. It is an unusual stone with irregular inclusions of pebbles, wood chips, clayey materials, and other irregularities. We wanted to promote this fascinating stone, which is now mined by elderly people and is becoming a declining industry, as much as possible, so we went to the mining site many times and conducted interviews to produce a booklet and an exhibition to explore the possibilities of Akiu stone.

The walls are littered with photographs of the mining site taken through interviews, old and valuable photos from a bygone era, and items in the process of production, all of which give a full picture of this project.The main uses are as building materials, interior materials, and gardening materials, but in order to spread awareness of the material, we first tried various processing and combinations with different materials, and exhibited experimental products. Among them, we narrowed down a few that could be materialized and actually made them into works of art.

The exhibition was intended to allow visitors to actually touch and feel the warmth and weight of the stones, so a variety of pieces were prepared for them to take home. In return, a donation box was set up, and cooperation was received so that this kind of exhibition could continue.