PROFILE
Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1996, he trained at "Shimada Neon", a neon sign production company, while still in college in 2017. The following year, in 2006, he went to New York by himself to gain experience at "Brooklyn Glass" and returned to Japan in 2007. Currently, he regularly holds solo exhibitions and produces neon signs for various companies.
Instagram:@waku0134
. according to the emotions guided by the neon light.
Jungle Fatigue Jacket ¥19,800, ,Velour track pants ¥14,300Other personal belongings
-First of all, can you tell us how you first became interested in neon?
Waku:At first, I casually thought that I wanted to put neon lights in my room. I thought I could make it by myself, but as I researched, I found out that neon is made of glass, requires a gas burner and high voltage, and is not easy to make. So, in order to understand why I was attracted to neon, I contacted around to see the actual production site, and the only one who responded was Shimada Neon, a neon shop located in Ota Ward, Tokyo.
-. and there you had your first real experience with neon production.
Waku:Yes, President Shimada told me that I could do it once a week, and I decided to attend. Growing up, I was making things and so on, but I was attending a regular private college, so I wasn't making things on a regular basis. . It wasn't until I came across Neon that the act of making things started again for me.
-You mentioned earlier that your heart didn't burn for LEDs, but what was it about neon light that attracted you to it?
Waku:The question of why I like neon is a theme that I constantly ask myself as I create my works. My family has a temple, and I believe that the way light is treated in the temple has had no small influence on my work. I feel that the light itself has an effect on my mind and emotions. I like that very much, and I feel that it has something in common with neon lights.
-I think that's why you wanted to put neon in your room, and that's why you went to the trouble of researching factories and making your own neon.
Waku:Neon had its own charm, but at the time I think I was really looking for something that was uniquely me. However, I now realize that neon does not necessarily mean that I am uniquely myself. I have always had doubts about my own identity, but recently I feel that I have finally come to accept who I am as a person. I don't want to live my life focusing on one thing, such as fashion for fashion and photography for photography. . That is why I use neon lights and other things when I create my works. I approach things that interest me and that I like at the moment.
-I see. When you were a student searching for that sense of self, were you interested in many other things?
Waku:. I also liked fashion and music. However, when I saw friends I met as a student, such as Shunsaku, a stylist, and Kotsu, a DJ collective called "CYK," who were really serious about those things, I think I realized that I was not that way.
-. He said that his relationships with various people gave him a chance to look at himself in a new light.
Waku:Isn't it like that for everyone? They meet someone, think about it, and change or do not change. I think it is partly because I was surrounded by many people with strong convictions.
