Toshie Oki Flower basket. “Shining stars”

I think the charm of bamboo is its elasticity and beautiful shine. I especially like the shine of soot-colored bamboo when light shines on it. I made this piece wondering whether I could create a beautiful shine with other types of bamboo. Producing artwork is continuously choosing from millions of shapes and lines and deciding. I always have a hard time making up my mind, but I move on with the image of what I want to make.

• Parallel construction

  Parallel construction (kumimono) is a method of bamboo basketry in which separately prepared bamboo components made of parallel elements are interlaced. The components are constructed using a technique called “comb plaiting” (kushime-ami), in which thicker, sturdy strips of bamboo are evenly spaced, and then the edges are tied together with rattan.