With a history of 1900 years, Akoya Pearls of Japan have had deep connections with people’s hearts. Pearls are “beauty born from the sacrifice of life”… As such, they represent something fundamentally different from the Western sense of eternal beauty as symbolized by unchanging diamonds and gems.
Collaborating with the best creative talents, 'Acoya' project pursues unique approaches in various fields with art and design to draw out the secret stories buried inside these forgotten treasures, thereby creating new sources of value and new markets for them. At the same time, these creations also explore relationships between the sea, the forest, and nature, thereby seeking to revive the beatify of the waters in and around Nagasaki’s Omura Bay. They aspire to the protection of the natural environment, and a symbiosis between nature, humans, and the economy.
Creative Direction: Chitose Ochi, Photographers: Mathijs Labadie (objects), Jyunya Igarashi (Locations), Printer: Taiyo-sha, Special Credit: Saliot
Creators: Umitaro ABE, BCXSY, Hilde De Decker, Yu-Chun Chen, Atsuko Ito, Jeanette Jansen, Jiro Kamata, Konishi Jun, Mikiko Minewaki, Shuhei Ohata, Emilie Pallard ＆ Niels Heymans, Annelies Planteydt, PE/AH, Ulrich Reithofer, Nina Sajet, Philip Sajet, Ayato Takeda, Taro, Chikako Watanabe, Saya Yamagishi
