Zaku Beheaded!
| Item Number | tk004204 |
| Item Name | RX-78 (aka Gundam) / White, Blue, Red, Yellow |
| Price | 52,500 yen |
| Limited | No |
| Size | φ280mm |
| Material | plastic model, wire, etc. |
| Payment Methods | PayPal |
| Shipping | Shipping costs will be emailed after order (all items ship from Japan) |
| Time to delivery | about one month |
| Notes | Returns are not accepted. |
| Buyer | Yu Yamada |
Ms. Mine's necklace
Ms. Mine was the only jewelry designer exhibiting from October to January at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT) "SPACE FOR YOUR FUTURE" exhibit. Mr. Chiba, a colleague buyer at Mitsubai Tokyo asked, "That necklace was great, happen to know the artist?" Of course I know her! I used to work in a jewelry store, after all.
So I contacted her immediately and when we met the first thing out of her mouth was, "MOT bought all the necklace's on display... Hey, it was the first time they showed jewelry, and the first addition to their jewelry collection!" Wha, wha, wow, that's great! The other half of me was thinking about what Mitsubai was to do, our deadline approaching, I couldn't face Chiba empty handed - I wasn't calm.
So after listening for awhile, when I was feeling a bit lost she says, "You know, if you give me some time I could make the same necklace." Really!? But they're all done by hand? Are you sure? "I've taken photos, so of course I can make them", a confident Mine remarks. God! Buddha! Everyone! YES!
After returning, I pause to think and realize this is outrageous. You see, to make a piece Mine has to cut everything by hand, resize, open holes, then run the wire through - the painstaking process of making a necklace. Even thinking about it makes me dizzy, knowing her wonderful ability as a craftswoman, the warmth always emanated from her minute work... I start to get excited.
A Zaku cutting a Zaku
Gundam and Zaku cut
TYPE-100 and Zaku cut
scattered Gundam
Pleasing shapes hidden in everyday objects
Ms. Minewaki Mikiko graduated in jewelry design from Hiko Mizuno Jewelry College, where she now teaches and enjoys creating jewelry in various materials with her students. With "pleasing shapes hidden in everyday objects" as the theme, she has been taking objects we see everyday, things we are all familiar with, and turning them into jewelry.
A soup bowl, lighter, coffee cup, grater, audio recorder, toys, pistol, blinker, pen, cell phone and computers have all been chopped up by Mine. The unique style of her current piece has its origins in toys from vending machines. As she cuts away poetically from various angles she became enchanted, thus began her life as a cutter, and now she works with plastic models.
Cutting itself is no easy task. If the tool spins too fast, the plastic melts, and because of the various shapes it is difficult to keep them stationary. Mine works completely by hand, cutting everything with a coping saw. The holes are opened with a router.
Once the pieces are ready, one at time she strings them together with a careful eye for aesthetic and color balance. In this manner, the various parts come together into a necklace, her piece.
Besides Japan, Ms. Mine is active in Europe. Her work is also held at the Francoise Van Den Bosch Foundation, a power house museum in the Netherlands.
Fresh in our memories, Mine's work was exhibited at MOT's Space For Your Future, and is now part of their permanent collection. This fall she will be exhibiting at "Kid's Room", which is part of the Tokyo International Forum. Mine is also working on collaborative projects with Swarovski, DuPont-CORIAN, H.P. France, and Docomo amongst others. She is definitely one of the most active Japanese jewelry designers, and our expectations for her future work can only increase.
Jewelry doesn't have to be made from expensive previous stones or metals. Rarity and monetary value doesn't matter if the piece is important to you. Whether its made from plastic or pebbles, if you wear it, it becomes jewelry. If you really love Gundam, it seems only natural to keep a mobile suit close to heart.
There might be something in your house you don't use often, but can't throw away. If you ask Ms. Mine, she might be able to turn it into jewelry you can keep close.
For details on MOT's: > Space for Your Future
Ms. Mine.
Gachapon, the origins of Mine's style
"Lighter's", a representative piece made from lighters
Wearing Gundam!
Equipped with a Zaku!