Making beauty: Mori Junko

This series celebrates the work of living Japanese artists and craftspeople.
Mori Junko employs traditional Japanese metalworking techniques including hand-forging steel with thousands of individually hand-cut nails crafted together to create compelling sculptural forms. Her signature piece is now in the Museum’s Japanese collection.
She takes inspiration from the world around her and uses her imagination to turn metal into organic sculptural forms. She initially worked as a welding assistant in Toma steel factory. In 1998 she came to the UK and enrolled in a silversmithing and metalworking degree at Camberwell College of Art. Now based in the Llyn Peninsula, Wales, she is a transnational artist whose work graphically demonstrates that national boundaries do not contain, but actually inform an artist’s vision. She combines traditional Japanese attention to detail and technique with a European concern for fresh vision and innovation.
This film series has been produced with the support of JTI.

[@lordsnooks2804]

This is one art piece at the British Museum I'll never forget seeing when I visited their Hokusai exhibition. It was like a coiling snake, the scales of fish swimming through anemones, a twisting ebony dragon, grass rustling in the breeze, and the floating ink wreaths of the Heptapods from the movie Arrival all in one. It was just mesmerizing.

[@marionkilian7188]

Such a true statement from an artist “I surprise myself and then something is born from me”…incredible work.

[@sunofslavia]

Absolutely astonishing. It's as beautiful as crystalline structures made by nature.

[@Willensimperium]

Oh my god, why didn't i know about her? That's basically what i was dreaming about since years when thinking about great sculptures, it's perfect...

[@Hypatia4242]

Ms. Mori Junko is one of the artists I would love to sit down and talk to about art and everything. I love what she said, that the repetition is meditative, and that she is proud of her working roots.

[@Litzbitz]

SHE IS AMAZING AND HER ART IS SO BEAUTIFUL.

[@AbsentWithoutLeaving]

I always wonder why those who dislike something on youtube dislike it. Do they dislike the video itself, the art, the artist, or are they just trolling because they can't stand to see no dislikes? Speaking as a metalsmith, Mori Junko is one of my absolute most admired artists. A huge thank you to the British Museum for producing this short introduction to who she is and what she does.

[@mblgxyz5923]

I don't like the art

[@barirwin8559]

it can simply mean the person who clicks dislike is informng the algorythim to show them less of this type of content.

[@brianflynn5355]

@@mblgxyz5923 Nobody likes you lol

[@phillblake6829]

Loving these Japanese artists

[@nokiot9]

Holy crap her accent is half Japanese half British! WHAAAT 😮

[@JEM1989]

Shes an amazing artist! Just so very interesting, her method, her medium, shes hard working as well. Her accent is so unique as well! I could listen to her talk forever

[@annwitten4359]

Such gorgeous movement! So fluid…

[@tanyaleef5138]

Amazing and superbly crafted piece what a fantastic achievement both in terms form and details

[@Sheepdog1314]

beautiful

[@rhijulbec1]

So beautiful. So expressive. Just breathtaking. Her art is simply amazing~a word I rarely due to extreme overuse~but in this case it fits. Jenn 💖 in Canada 🍁

[@ericswain4177]

Awsome artwork !

[@agustinrodriguezcantalapie581]

I love this videos :), great work keep it going please!!!!

[@rogergarcia3021]

Like the explosion and growth of of molecules, the development and layer's seem never ending. Like I repeated before the skill is the gift not the end product. I see that vision too. The repetition is the love of the process. Thank you for the video. Roger from Texas

[@33333cherokee]

huge huge thank you what an inspiring woman.

[@neilmarlow3327]

Wonderful work Junko and a lovely short film.

[@lazlomattachine8334]

Beautiful!

[@sail2byzantium]

Amazing and beautiful works! Very intriguing, with their massed simplicity combined with very intricate details. The pieces that really struck me were at 1:54, 2:01 and 2:53. Thank you!

[@edwardtait4285]

So fresh. Thank you.

[@98Zai]

It looks like it's moving slightly. Reminds me of ferrofluids.

[@petrameyer1121]

Amazingly mesmerizing.

[@ferrispictures]

Stunning!

[@blakeshedd]

astounding--thank you for sharing your vision!

[@ZACY29]

Beautiful things are made one thing at a time.

[@petrfrizen6078]

金属アートの非常に美しい作品！

[@gavinhill4121]

Awesome piece and workwomanship. But also fantastic that the BM are able to procure this type of work. Think I'll go and see it.

[@mutualbeard]

Fabulous.

[@jennief2108]

Thank you )

[@valuchinn]

maravilloso!

[@Igbarash]

incredible

[@MrTentakul]

7:27 to the end is the true arts definition i also believe in

[@ravichudasama6109]

No1 work frend

[@acanadian2285]

inspiring

[@MrSongib]

7:17 I had the same thought about it when come to this titles and things like that. xd

[@ashleya3731]

Her art is something you say 'woah holly shit' when you see it

[@petrfrizen6078]

Have you ever created the Chanukhiya (candlestick for Chanukah)? If you did - would be very interesting to have a glimpse of it. Chanukah sameach to everybody!

[@Stadtpark90]

It almost seems alive. Half dragonscale and half blooming rose. and then it looks fossilized - as if it has been dead a million years. and yet it does not crumble or rust, so it seems eternal. In Paradox Interactives “Stellaris” it would be “dragonscale armor” meets “living metal”: +2 armor regen, +1 hull regen - maybe after a Driven Assimilator was done with adding its distinctiveness to the mechanical hivemind. - it is probably a bit less. or more. she just would not say.

[@spudpud-T67]

She might say you are over thinking it. Just enjoy as an object of beauty.

[@petrfrizen6078]

Dear British Museum: I saw your comment in my mail box, but, through some reason, it is not being reflected at KZbin notifications… Someone might be blocking them…

[@mkultra8640]

I like the small petals effect. I appreciate the time and effort the artist put into her work. I have to say that for me, the form overall is not my cup of tea.

[@mr.perfect8746]

great art. Could ya'll tone down the added muSic? totally distracting.

[@dliessmgg]

5:40 "and then the british (museum) jumped in immediately and said we're having that" I can't believe it's not a satire on colonialism ;)

[@dannydano8072]

Yes how dare the British Museum buy a piece of art (at a very hefty price), made by an artist residing in Britain, from a commercial gallery in England! What is even more horrific is that the artist herself is quite pleased to have her work purchased by the British Museum! It is almost as if Mori Junko has no agency!

[@HyuLilium]

modern "art"

[@EricDMMiller]

All that effort and it looks like shit. What a waste of effort, energy, and material.

[@Consrignrant]

Well, it's not displayed very well, is it.