This time around

      I couldn't even bring the sacred streamers

     Offering Hill

     But if this brocade of leaves

     Is to the Gods liking....

 - Sugawara no Michizane

 

Inspired by the warm, glowing beauty of Japanese gilded screens I have set out on a quest to create similar objects myself while at the art school. My screen draws its inspiration from a poem by a Heian period poet-courtier, Sugawara no Michizane, worshipped as a benevolent God of Learning. Composed during an unplanned trip, the poem presents a brocade of autumn leaves to gods as an offering. My screen thus also turns into an offering to the God of Learning. In this work I wanted to explore the question of understanding and translatability of cultures and thus provided not just Japanese writing, but also English translation of the verse.

The screen looks excellent arranged on a mantelpiece in a zigzag shape or as a table divider in a C shape.

This screen is silver gilt. Silver oxidises with age. It is a natural process and adds sophistication to the piece. The screen should not be exposed to moisture and should not be displayed flat, as it creased stress on the hinges and leads to tearing.