Standing on the shoulders of Giants

When we create something, whatever we create, we combine and edit what we have seen in the past and especially what we like. It is as if we collect them, compose them into something that we vaguely want to express, research each element to avoid distortions, find commonalities and points of contact, and put them together. I can show these creations to friends, have them wear them or, if it is a meal, eat them together. The pleasure and discussion that this generates is, I believe, a more three-dimensional and imaginatively rich experience than just appreciating something one way.

In Japan, it has been the practice to quote parts of well-known masterpieces to create new works, as in the waka poem honka-tori. By standing on the shoulders of giants and deepening your research, you will gradually begin to see the outlines. We do not just trace the past, but when we can find a certain newness in it, we believe that through it people will connect and remain in their hearts.