About
Midori Hirose's bell-making workshop centers on the history of SE Portland's Japanese American farming community and its natural habitat.
Japanese American farmers were once active in the early 1900s. During WWII, families were sent to internment camps, and many did not return. A few of the orchard trees that were planted are still fruiting to this day.
The ceramic bell-making workshop invites the public to make their own interpretations of furin, Japanese “wind bells,” with the goal of building community connections and engaging in discussions about the past, present, and future of the SE Portland area.
~Why the Wind Bell?
Why the wind bell? A bell is a nature-to-human signifier. Furin "wind bells" were traditionally hung from tree branches, where the breeze creates a gentle ringing sound. They can currently be found indoors and outdoors.
The material of the bells we'll be working with is clay, of earth. Grounded in this is the human connection to the earth and one another. We will design our bells to reflect the unique and meaningful things about our communities and the places we live. The ringing of the bells signifies a refresher, creating space, honoring the past, and looking to the future.
And save the dates ~
March 2023 Furin bell assembly
April-May 2023 Exhibition at the PCC Campus gallery
May 2023 Symposium
Continuing the interactive process of creative exchange, at the exhibition's closing, the bells will be distributed to you, participants, with each participant receiving a fellow community member’s bell.
