#43 - improvised meditation

COMPOSED BY NATSUMI OSBORN & PREMIERED BY NICHOLAS GALLITANO & JULIA WELDON, INSPIRED BY A MEIJI ERA POT SUBMITTED BY ADAM IRISH

My name is Adam Irish and I'm an antique dealer. When Natsumi Osborne said she was looking for a Japanese object that reflected her own cross-cultural roots in Japan and the United States, I immediately thought of this antique Meiji-era Tokoname terra cotta pot. Dating to the late 19th century, the piece embodies the opening of Japan to international trade and its export of goods to satisfy the American and European fascination with Japonisme, the period's obsession with Japanese aesthetics. Collectors of traditional Japanese art often turn away from Meiji-period objects of this kind, which although frequently of superb craftsmanship, were designed to satisfy Western conceptions of Japan rather than authentic Japanese craft. But as an antique dealer, I'm interested in this piece precisely for that reason: it gives shape to the cross-cultural aesthetics emerging 150 years ago, its cloud-threaded dragon neither quite Japanese nor Western but somewhere in between, traversing the continents of the globalized world we live in today. It's also simply an exquisite object, and Natsumi's composition captures both its beauty and meaning as I could never do in words alone.

The Tokoname pot is available for purchase. Please see more photos on my Instagram account @oldasadam. Although I primarily sell American antiques, you may drop by my online store at www.oldasadam.com from time to time for the occasional Meiji or Japonist object posted for sale. You'll also typically find a piece or two available in my Providence, RI brick-and-mortar store, Old as Adam, located at 125 Benefit Street on College Hill, just a few blocks away from the Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University.

Thank you, Audrey of Musaics and Natsumi for this wonderful opportunity to fuse my love of objects and contemporary classical music!

—Adam Irish

EXTENDED CONVERSATION

Join us for an extended conversation with Natsumi Osborn, Nicholas Gallitano and Julia Weldon regarding their virtual collaboration for the "Stay-at-Home Symposium." Moderated by Musaics of the Bay Artistic Director Audrey Vardanega, the participants discuss their artistic backgrounds and their collaborative process.