When we visited a factory making such products as kettles and air-conditioning equipment parts, our eyes were attracted by colorful fragments of aluminum. As we were enchanted by this material, which was light like paper but hard and whose colors were vivid, we took some fragments home and kept them around. One day, when we came across paper cutouts created by Emma Kohlmann(Instagram: @meiow_mix), we got the inspiration to create new products by fusing her artworks with fragments of aluminum. That is how this collection came into being.

‘I started making the cutouts for friends' birthday parties. The first time I made them was for the first birthday of my friend’s son. Afterwards, I started making them for my own personal parties and other intimate occasions such as when my sister and I made dinner together. It was a way to make the room more festive. I like the idea of the cutouts as decorations, because it brings warmth and connection in a space. I wanted to make decorations that were affordable and easy to make. Although they were simple, they really worked as a way to brighten a room. I loved the idea that the cutouts were transforming a space into another world. I strung the cutouts on a piece of yarn after making them using construction paper and scissors. I taped them to the walls and also hang them across the room like garlands. After the parties were over, I would keep them up because I couldn’t bear the idea of taking them down. They became part of my daily life.

I make the cutouts because I want to bring joy and celebration to other people. Although they are simply made, the cutouts are meant to welcome you into a space. They are meant to brighten your day and to share that with other people.’

薬缶や空調の部品を作っている工場を訪ねたときに見つけた、カラフルなアルミニウムの破片。紙のように軽いけれど硬質で、鮮やかな色彩を持った素材に惹かれ、アトリエに持ち帰り、手元に置いていました。あるとき偶然出会ったEmma Kohlmann(Instagram: @meiow_mix)の切り絵とアルミニウムの破片とが結びつき、このコレクションは生まれました。

「初めてこれらの切り絵を作ったのは、友だちの子供の1歳の誕生日でした。その後、個人的なパーティーや、妹と一緒にディナーをする時などにも作るようになりました。それは部屋をより華やかにするための方法でした。切り絵を飾りとして使うアイデアは、空間に暖かさとつながりをもたらしてくれるので、とても気に入っています。お金をかけずに簡単に作れる飾りを作りたかったのです。シンプルなものだけれど、部屋を明るくするためにはとても効果がありました。切り絵は空間を別世界に変えてくれます。色画用紙をハサミで切って、壁にテープで貼ったり、ガーランドのように部屋全体に吊るしたりしました。パーティーが終わった後も取り外す気になれなくて、ずっと飾っていたら、切り絵は生活の一部になっていました。 人を喜ばせたい、お祝いしたいという思いから、切り絵を作っています。ただ作っているだけなのに、空間に迎え入れてくれる。一日を明るくしてくれて、それを誰かと共有するためのものだと思っています。」