Onomatopoeia in Glass Art

This exhibition of works from the collection focuses on “onomatopoeic” elements in glass art.

The term onomatopoeia encompasses inanimate phonomimes (giongo) like the sound of “knocking” at a door, and phenomimes (gitaigo) that represent psychological states and actions such as “heart-pounding” excitement. Living in Japan one finds onomatopoeia frequently woven into conversation as a language available to all, from tiny babies to grown adults, that on occasion also serves as a reliable way to communicate our thoughts in a more nuanced fashion.

So what about glass-related onomatopoeia? Whether it is the painful togetoge spikiness or “Ouch!” of chiku evoked by a sharp broken shard; a fluffy fuwafuwa or puffy pukupuku lightness that overturns our image of glass as a cold, hard material; the soft, gloopy torori, dorori of falling molten glass; or the kirakira glittering or pikaa! flash when light passes through glass or is reflected by it—when we turn our attention to the onomatopoeic elements in glass works, as well as finding they make glass art a more familiar and relatable presence, we may find ourselves amazed at the sheer breadth and potential of glass art expression.

Join us to unearth this unexpected wealth of onomatopoeia in glass art, and explore more of the many mysteries surrounding this endlessly versatile material.

Click here to download the List of works.

Curator’s Talk
Dates: 27 November, 11, 24 December 2022, 8, 28 January, 5, 18 February, 11, 19 March, 1, 23 April,
6, 28 May, 4 June 2023　each at 14:00-
Venue: Toyama Glass Art Museum
Language: Japanese
* No reservation

Contact

Toyama Glass Art Museum
bijutsukan-01@city.toyama.lg.jp