The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

THE INNER STUDIO
this calibrated chaos holds things together and reminds us of all the
mysteries that surround us. The built world can pivot on the presence
of the unknown. This work lives through the attention it
received in its making, and breathes the reverence it contains.
It Is Dark
Begin with the root, the part of the tree that is left behind when we
have taken what we want. The unwanted part of tree is the quiet,
restless, physical center of the work. The work pays homage to the
unseen forces in things, which are symbolized in the root. This
reverence turns a table into an offering, a mystical wheel. What is
offered is a tribute to the deep causes of things. As the Zen monk
Thich Nhat Hanh has said, “This is like this because that is like
that.” Our dark and tangled memories are the source of many
things. Remembered or not, our roots remain with us and have
something to say about the way we will grow. Nakashima leaves the
darkness in the table where it can be seen, perhaps discussed,
sometimes where it must be eaten. We have to go down inside
ourselves to meet this work. Consciously or unconsciously we
travel down and into it. It is not found in the broad canopy of
leaves that laugh in the wind and offer sweet shade.
When things grow, we concern ourselves with their visible
evidence. What happens when we grow in other ways, when we
grow through disappointment, sorrow, loss, or regret? Does this
count? This built work points to what is not visible, not easily
reached, not straightforward, to what lies below in the firm, wet,
and difficult darkness. We are in the world of roots, at the bottom
of our story. This table is striking in its willingness to bear witness
to what lies below. The darkness isn’t eliminated, it’s included. It
brings an altogether different kind of beauty, a beauty that includes
the kind of energy that darkens, that shatters. It is the power of this
beauty that causes individuals to experience both breakdowns and
breakthroughs. Its energy undoes traditions and opinions under the
burning light that comes not from above but from within. The root
is a dark, flickering tongue and even when you remove it from the
ground, it stays surrounded by the luminous, dense gown of the
earth. It speaks of secret ways of working with our darkest material.
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