Masao is a London based designer/artist who takes a hands-on making approach towards his practice. He works with materials of storytelling features and traditional crafting techniques in local context, aiming at producing and benefiting locally. Built on historical studies and ethnography, Masao creates objects that reproduce culture of a place through collaborating with crafters and communities.
Masao insists on the idea of "locality", which means materials, techniques, and process need to be sourced on a local basis as much as possible, and the project itself should have positive impact on communities as well. As an "intruder" of culture, he practices to bring traditional ways of production into contemporary contexts.
As an artist, Masao works as a member of the constellation of Futurefarmers in community-based projects, in the formats of workshops, spacial design, temporary architecture, aiming at rebuilding people's relationships in communities, engaging the public with certain discourses, and regenerating local culture.
