This season, where fresh green shines in the sunlight. It was different from typical years, yet it was still a bright, early summer. “Despite all the changes, I’d love to live a fun and kind life”. With that thought in mind, I received some gleaming words from 3 previous interview guests who appeared in our serialized journal series.
These women face the world in different places, at different times, and continue to carry the ARTIDA OUD torch of  “raw beauty = natural beauty”. We can feel this from their words.

These women are also a huge supporting presence in the “I am” donation project which we at ARTIDA OUD began last year. Mariko Abe, an ARTIDA OUD Designer, was once a volunteer worker in India. Her dream was that “All women will be given an environment in which they can succeed in their own way”. We began our “I am” project with this idea as a prayer for women everywhere.
Whenever you purchase a bracelet which is meticulously handmade piece by piece by these women in India, part of each sale is donated to help build and provide schools in developing countries. Currently, with the hope of being able to help someone somewhere in the world, we have changed the donation destination to the Doctors Without Borders “New Coronavirus Infectious Disease Crisis Response” Fundraiser.


opnner ×ARTIDA OUD ver.

These are models made in collaboration with the tattoo sticker brand opnner, where they believe “Tattoos are the greatest  form of encouragement, and eternal jewelry”. A tattoo sticker adds a message to the 2 types of 11-color stone bracelets.




NGO×ARTIDA OUD ver.

Produced by an NGO that provides support for women across India. Includes a pavé diamond charm attached. The women of the NGO carefully produce each piece by hand, so each purchase goes to supporting their income.



Thanks to the support of so many, [NGOxARTIDA OUD ver.] has officially sold out. We sincerely thank all of you for your support.  While we plan to continue production, India is currently under official lockdown, and we can’t estimate when restocking will be completed. We will update everyone over SNS etc. as soon as possible. We truly appreciate your patience in these times. Our [opnner x ARTIDA OUD ver.] products are nearly sold out as well.

We pray from our hearts that not only India, but the rest of the world can return to a peaceful state quickly.



“If all the resonating thoughts of people throughout the world could bring even a little smile…”--
Please listen to the voices of three creators we’ve worked with up until now, and think about the present and future.



Natsumi Ito / Artist


―――How are you spending your time?

Surprisingly, I live my life pretty normally. One thing that changed is while I typically do work that doesn’t much involve interacting with people, these days I interact with people even less. I feel pretty refreshed because I’m interacting more through online meetings and by mail rather than in person compared to before.
In terms of my daily life, I typically do deskwork and artwork during the day, and at night I finish up and switch to private time. Also, since self restraint against going out has become standard, I feel like somewhere in the world the flow of things is becoming laid back. Maybe because of that, I feel that having more time to slowly focus on my work is a nice change.




―――What sort of things do you look forward to each day?

Recently I’m having fun organizing everything (laughs).
I had a lot of things just piled up because I’d been so busy with day to day tasks. I had a lot of things from years back which had been put on the backburner. I look forward to organizing my past creations. It’s a relaxing time where I can refresh my mood.


―――Please tell us any of the recommended works you know of that we should touch upon.

That’s a tough question. It’s actually music but, when I relax in the mornings or during a trip I often listen to The Cinematic Orchestra’s “To Build a Home”. I recommend it.


―――What do you want to do when you can go out again?

I’d like to take an outing. Somewhere with lots of mountains and nature would be nice.


―――Have you created anything during the self restraint against going out period?



『Italia / Postcard』

Actually, the self restraint period began during a solo exhibition of mine. After entering the self restraint period, I got a request from a client of mine to create a postcard from a series of works on exhibit at the time. That client was from overseas and really enjoyed my theme of Italy. They told me that they wished to send a letter to their close friend. All over the world, people were beginning to stay home more and miss their friends, but this particular client also simply wanted to contact their friend without using the internet or other digital means. After hearing their story, I had a feeling of happiness, and decided to make a number of postcards for the occasion.




―――selected by Natsumi Ito―――

「”cord” Indian Circle Chain Choker」
It can be used as a choker or wrapped around to be used as a bracelet. I think it’s a simple and easy to use design.

"cord" Indian circle chain choker 13,200yen (with tax)


――― Please send a message to everyone at ARTIDA OUD’s Donation Project [I am].

This project allows people to face inwardly on themselves, and provides compassionate thoughts to help people, so it really deserves the focus of the public in a developed country such as Japan. I want everyone to know about these accessories. They give us the chance to take a breath and think about someone, and they feel like a protective charm.


PROFILE
Natsumi Ito


She’s an international Japanese artist who is based in Tokyo. Drawing inspiration from everyday life, she appreciates designs which blend perfectly into everyday life and is creating a wide variety of works. She has a love for all things relating to paper, and has been primarily engaged in creative activities based on various methods using paper. However, in recent years she has expanded her range of expressive methods. She’s also a graphic designer who focuses on ads and other paper products, an art director, a photographer, and more. She began in Tokyo but currently works internationally. Her activities have expanded beyond titles and become even more diversified, receiving great deals of attention.

http://natsumiito.jp/ 
The full interview is here.



Eri Sawatari / Videographer・Animator 


―――How are you spending your time?

My work at the moment is practically at a standstill, so I’ve just been at home drawing, practicing ukulele, sewing, and spacing out.  When the weather’s nice it’s hard to sit around inside, so I sit out on my veranda and read a book and try to get some sun. Since I’m normally always racing against time, I feel like my current lifestyle is really relaxed. (laughs)




―――What sort of things do you look forward to each day?

I’m normally a night owl, but I feel like it’s bad for me to not get up and walk around, so every morning I take a walk around my neighborhood. I used to hate going on walks, but it’s gradually become more fun, and now I like them. For example I found a local gallery that I’d never known about before, so I’m happy that I feel like I’ve gotten something out of it.


―――Please tell us any of the recommended works you know of that we should touch upon.

Recently I suddenly felt like reading Shinya Fujiwara’s “Memento Mori”. I’d been spending all my time in my room, and found myself thinking “Can this really be called living?”... Probably because I’d heard so many sad things on the news, I’d been affected by it without really realizing, and suddenly felt like picking the book back up. The theme is “If you don’t see real death, you can’t live a real life”. I love the book.


―――What do you want to do when you can go out again?

I want to work!!
Also, I want to go to an art museum. Because my only hobby is going to art museums.


―――Have you created anything during the self restraint against going out period?

When I was doing some cleaning up, I found a lot of pieces of cloth I’d received during some of my travels, so I’ve been sewing a lot. I recently made some cushion covers which were must-haves for me. My lower back aches so I want cushions pretty much everywhere.



Eri Sawatari loves traveling, especially to India.
During ARTIDA OUD’s launch, we headed to India together to make this movie.




―――selected by Eri Sawatari―――

「”cord” Indian Circle Chain Anklet」
I want to wear jewelry all the time. I like simple designs that aren’t too flashy, so I feel like I want to wear this anklet all the time.

"cord" Indian circle chain anklet 9,720yen (with tax)


―――Please send a message to everyone at ARTIDA OUD’s Donation Project [I am].

I’m hoping that all women will have more opportunities and systems in place for living independently. I think that this project, which supports a part of that, is really wonderful because it makes me feel like I can connect with the world using items familiar to everyone such as jewelry.


PROFILE
Eri Sawatari


University of the Arts London graduate. actively involved with a wide variety of projects such as: TV commercials、WEB commercials、music videos、TV titleback、and Installation.Works in overseas production as the video unit “Sojiro & Eri”. Received a gold medal at ADFEST2017 Film Division.

http://erisawatari.com/
The full interview is here.



Sayo Nagase / Photographer・Artist


―――How are you spending your time?

I’ve been organizing my works from before, and considering what sorts of things fit the current generation.
I put the hope that through my works I can be a part of someone’s advancement into everything I make.


―――What sort of things do you look forward to every day?

On Sunday I made some planters out of wood that I could plant things like basil and arugula in. I like to use the herbs I grow in cooking, or infusing them into fermented foods and the likes. When doing so, I feel a step closer to reaching a self sufficient lifestyle, so I’m enjoying each and every day.


―――Please tell us any of the recommended works you know of that we should touch upon.

“The Plague” by Albert Camus.
It’s a novel that’s set when the Plague was spreading like COVID is now, but the deeper theme of the story is a bit like “A person who is actually aware of it deep down, but has been living daily life without addressing the problems within their true self, staring straight down into the bottom of their heart with the plague acting as a trigger”. That’s how I think about it.


―――What do you want to do when you can go out again?
I used to make all sorts of pottery works back during winter, but the kiln’s been closed recently, so I’d like to go back to making more.


―――Have you created anything during the self restraint against going out period?

I made some tie-dye shirts which I started producing at my last exhibition. I wanted to make one look a bit rough, so I tied up a darker T-shirt and dyed it with acrylic paint in the spots it had faded. I wanted the other to have a refreshing impression, so I drew a pattern on it with a color pen before tying it up and dyeing it.Everything can be done in your kitchen or bath tub. ^^



Also, I’m selling all of the photos I’ve taken up until now online. Now that it’s hard to go out as much, I’d be thrilled if I could help people to add more color to their interiors.








―――selected by Sayo Nagase――― 

「”erafonisi” Square blue topaz and  pavé diamond double open ring」
I miss the ocean, so I chose a blue topaz which looks like water, and a diamond which sparkles like the surface of the water.  Every time I look at my hand I feel the calm power of the ocean.


"elafonisi" square blue topaz pave diamo 46,200yen (with tax)


―――Please send a message to everyone at ARTIDA OUD’s Donation Project [I am].

Right now, we’re all feeling both small and large changes. I think that looking at each of those changes, and then having the ability to wish for the happiness of all people is our ticket to being able to keep moving forward.


PROFILE
Sayo Nagase

A Tokyo based photographer, artist, and Yomogi Books organizer。Including her newest work [MERRY-GO-ROUND], she has produced 11 photo collections. Two of them are published by Paris-based Stockholm’s「LIBRARYMAN]. She held the exhibition [Milky Way] at GALLERY360° in 2018, and in 2019 held [MERRY GO ROUND] at AL, creating her own unique worldview.

http://www.nagasesayo.com/
Chara’s interview, shot by Sayo is here.