KYOKO TSUDA

Kyoko Tsuda is a designer who engages in creating a variety of products including jewelry, ceramics, and scarfs. She established her brand “KYOKO TSUDA” while attending Tokyo University of the Arts, quickly gaining attention for her characteristic jewelry works featuring pop and geometric designs inspired by her studies in graphic design. Her popular bijoux series is based on an idea that had come to her mind when one day visiting a shop selling resin parts. The jewelry, made by combining kitsch resin parts that look as if they have come out of a little girl’s toy cabinet, are each individually unique. Supplementary parts that had once been made for mass production are reimagined in the form of artistic jewelry like no other in the world. Tsuda invests much time and care into this process of production, exploring the best combination of parts until her heart’s content.

When asked for her source of inspiration, Tsuda went to her bookshelf and took out some of her favorite books. From a book introducing surreal designs of chairs, to a recipe book of questionable party food that one might see in an old movie, a diverse array of both foreign and Japanese books regardless of genre had soon accumulated in a pile. Various paraphernalia that peaked Tsuda’s interest and which she cherished, such as cards with strange illustrations, foreign product packages with their kitsch designs, and unique flower vases, could be found scattered here and there throughout her workplace. While seemingly in disorder, the surprising combinations of colors and materials, and intense presences that leave a lasting impression, had appeared to naturally connect with the world of wonder and curiosity that Tsuda summons through her work.

Although engaged in a successful practice as a jewelry designer, Tsuda’s interests and fascination go beyond the sole framework of this context. She enrolled in the university’s ceramic department course as a research student upon completing her graduate studies in hopes to learn from scratch the techniques of ceramics that she had originally pursued on her own. She thus currently continues to work actively in ceramics while leading an animated life as a jewelry designer. Moreover, she mentions that flower vases in particular can potentially become a centerpiece and also has a high-degree of freedom in their expression, thereby intending to develop it into one of the core aspects of her practice along with jewelry. For Tsuda who considers flower vases as a form of jewelry to adorn the home, it had only seemed natural for jewelry and ceramics to become the subjects for her creative oeuvre. Tsuda’s interest now also seems to be channeled towards “food and cuisine.” She allows her interests to guide her in naturally pursuing what it is that she wants to create, sparing no efforts to learn in doing so. One anticipates that the scope of her practice will continue to evolve and expand into the future.