Artwork description: I create my work using soil collected in Toyama. The reason I use soil is that I want to capture the landscapes, nature, and memories of the time I have spent in this region. I also believe that soil holds the history and memories of the land itself. While ceramics might be a natural choice when working with soil, I was instead drawn to glass. Glass softens and changes shape when heated, and then solidifies, preserving that form as it cools. This transformation reminded me of how memories are formed—shifting over time before settling into something more fixed. The movement and fixation of glass seem to symbolize this very process. The soil used in this work comes from places I have visited that left a strong impression on me, as well as historically significant sites where clay was once used for roof tiles. By combining this soil—infused with the memory and passage of time—with glass, I aim to create works that connect my personal experiences with the memories embedded in specific places. The form I have chosen is that of a vessel. Through my research, I found that vessel and jar forms have long been part of people’s lives—used in rituals, as urns, and as everyday tableware. Across cultures and eras, vessels have remained familiar, intimate objects. To me, they also serve as symbolic containers—objects that hold and preserve memory. Through this work, I hope to bring together the memories etched into the land of Toyama and those of my own life, allowing them to emerge as a tangible form. At the same time, I continue to explore new possibilities for expression through the medium of glass—seeking a form of expression that has not existed before.