Untitled, 2016 © Sae Honda

Please tell me about your work in the collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

They are three pieces made for the graduation show and I simply deformed design of ancient and modern ornaments all over the world. They got eyes of a curator of the museum at the show and became a part of the collection.

When did you decide to live in Amsterdam?

It was 5 years ago. I came here to go to the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. It is confortable to live here and easy to access to other European countries. The scene of design market is also active. There are many immigrants like New York of Europe and the mixture of multi-culture is interesting.
This July, I am moving to a south city Eindhoven, which has a famous design academy and many artists live.

Cover of EVERYBODY NEEDS A ROCK

Could you tell about your collection EVERYBODY NEEDS A ROCK published from torch press?

It is separated to two parts. The first part is a collection of stones — 22 stones (photos) and documents (text) — and the other is an essay of my project in English and Japanese. The book is designed by a Japanese graphic designer Akiko Wakabayashi who graduated from the same academy, used to work with a well-known graphic designer Irma Boom, and currently live and work in Amsterdam. It has two covers and they have a concept to express a change before/after of the project process.

SHIRO USAGI – EVERYBODY NEEDS A ROCK, 2016 © Sae Honda

Do you have a memorable piece in the collection book?

It’s SHIRO USAGI. This is an early work and created with founded objects at the north beach of Amsterdam.

Future Primitive, 2017 © Sae Honda

Please tell me about your future plan.

I usually do not repeat the same stone and design. But, I would like to make jewelry, which can be enjoyed by many people. I once created a piece for my friend and I’m interested in a made-to-order.
Also, I am invited to “Into The Great Wide Open” hold in Friesland, Netherlands at the end of August and will make stones with trash founded at the event.

Could you leave a massage to readers of this interview?

Although it is like a project touching on modern environmental problems, I would like to share the exciting moment to discover an overlooked part in daily life through the process rather than focusing on recycling materials.

Sae Honda “EVERYBODY NEEDS A ROCK”
Design: Akiko Wakabayashi
Specification: A6 / 156 Pages (92P+64P)
Language: Japanese / English
Price: 2,600 yen (+Tax)
Limited 500
ISBN978-4-907562-13-7 C0071
https://www.torchpress.net