Re-challenging the 'Space' for Lacquerware from Kyoto: Engineering x Art, Students Experiment to Pursue the Trajectory of Dreams for 'Unknown Beauty'
Engineering and art students are re-challenging the 'Sora Urushi Project,' launching traditional Japanese lacquerware into the stratosphere from Mongolia.Summary
The "Sora Urushi (Space Lacquer)" project involves launching traditional Japanese lacquerware art pieces via a space balloon to the stratosphere, the entrance to space at an altitude of 30,000 meters, to capture their appearance on video. The team, comprising students studying aerospace engineering from Nagoya Institute of Technology and Nagoya University, alongside students from Kyoto City University of Arts, began this endeavor in May 2022. They successfully recovered a craft in an experiment in Ehime Prefecture in 2023, capturing the glossy black beauty of the lacquer illuminated by Earth's light, which garnered praise online for its "unprecedented sculptural beauty." In a previous attempt in Mongolia last March, they aimed to capture the work illuminated by sunrise, but the cameras stopped just short of the goal due to issues like battery voltage drop caused by unexpected low temperatures. After diagnosing the cause and modifying the equipment, the team is making a fifth attempt from Mongolia starting March 18th to pursue this "unknown beauty." The lacquer piece itself was created by Naoko Kubo, a graduate student at Kyoto City University of Arts, through repeated application and polishing of black lacquer onto a resin mold.
(Source：京都新聞デジタル)