About Jikū Ranentai
A starry sky that stretches infinitely.
Beyond the limits of observation lies the boundary between existence and non-existence.
True “nothingness”, where neither time nor space exists, is not a physical entity but a concept. Scientifically, it may have no meaning.
Yet, it is precisely because the outside of the known universe is a conceptual realm that we can say it resides deep within our consciousness.
The potential of thought and awareness knows no bounds—within it, both truth and illusion may coexist.
If the outer edge of the universe and the depths of human consciousness are indeed equivalent, then even if it lacks scientific significance, our entire worldview would inevitably shift.
The Jikū Ranentai is a process of tracing the memories and records that compose my being, and in groping for the form at the core of my heart, I attempt to infer the nature of the universe itself.
Dialogue with Material
Metallurgy has long pursued the functional potential of metals, building an immense body of knowledge.
Strength, lightness, resistance to corrosion, and even electrical conductivity and catalytic properties—
it is no exaggeration to say that modern civilization is founded upon the skillful application of metallic materials.
Yet, research from the perspective of aesthetic inquiry—of beauty as perceived through sensibility—remains exceedingly scarce.
In particular, rare metals—relatively new to practical use—are seldom explored in the arts due to their complexity and difficulty in handling.
However, new metals such as tantalum, niobium, and zirconium hold tremendous potential to expand the realm of beauty.
These materials possess unique characteristics not found in traditional metals like gold, silver, copper, or iron.
Through the creation of Jikū Ranentai, I explore the latent aesthetic potential hidden within metal itself,
venturing into an uncharted frontier of artistic expression.
On Diffusion Bonding
At the core of the Jikū Ranentai creation process lies one essential technique: diffusion bonding of dissimilar metals.
Diffusion bonding is a method of joining various metal materials by applying heat and pressure below their melting points.
Even though the metals remain in solid form, atoms at their interface begin to intermingle and integrate at the atomic level.
By carefully controlling temperature, pressure, and time, the depth of diffusion varies — and during the cooling phase, crystallization unfolds into a range of expressive surface patterns.
The movement of atoms and the resulting crystallization through diffusion bonding are not merely visual effects.
They symbolically reflect how the behavior of matter on a microscopic scale resonates with the very nature of the universe itself.
