エルエアで滞在制作を行ったアーティストからの寄稿文を紹介します。今回の記事は2026年7月15日（水）から 9月27日（日）の期間中滞在した彫刻家の馬渕洋 (Hiroshi MABUCHI)さん。
2.5ヶ月の滞在を経てアーティストの見たものや感じたこと――
Ⅼ‐AIRのレジデンスは「いままで皮革を扱ったこともない者でもOK」というわけで、これは皮革に対しての「ど素人力」が求められているのだと思いました。ですので自分がどうこなせるのか全く分からないままの参加でしたが後半には少しは皮革と仲良くなれた気がします。
ほとんど無知状態で、今回皮革のなりたちを聞いたりタンナーさんにお伺いしたり、一口に革といってもこれだけの種類があるのかと呆然としましたが（笑）。
暑い夏でしたが積極的に自転車生活で一時の姫路地元民感覚を味わいました。北から城に向かうと住宅街からひょこっと天守閣が見えたり、水路が多かったりさすがの城下町。
高木橋から見える他のビルを脳内で消すと、ああ昔はこういうふうにお城が見えてたんだな、と。
制作に関しては初心者ながらも皮革に対してやってみたいことは一通りできたと思います。そのせいで、ややとっ散らかった気もしますが個人的には大変楽しく遊ばさせてもらいました。以降は機会があればさらに深めた皮革の作品も作ってゆきたいです。
今回の滞在で馬渕にかかわって頂きお世話になったすべての皆様、ありがとうございました。
One of the things that attracted me to the L-AIR residency was that even people who had never worked with leather before were welcome to apply. I felt that what was being sought was a kind of “complete beginner’s perspective” toward leather. So I joined the residency without having any idea at all how I would manage to work with the material. By the latter half of the residency, however, I felt that I had begun to become a little more familiar with leather.
I started out knowing almost nothing. I learned about where leather comes from and visited tanneries, and I was honestly overwhelmed by just how many different kinds of leather there are, even though we simply call it “leather” in general. (Laughs.)
It was a very hot summer, but I actively embraced life by bicycle and was able to experience, for a short while, something of what it felt like to be a local resident of Himeji. When heading toward the castle from the north, you can suddenly catch a glimpse of the keep emerging above the residential areas, and there are waterways everywhere—truly a castle town.
When I look out from Takagi Bridge and mentally erase the other buildings from view, I can imagine, “Ah, this must be what the castle used to look like from here.”
As for the production process, although I was a beginner, I feel that I was able to try most of the things I wanted to do with leather. Because of that, the results may feel somewhat scattered, but personally, I had a great deal of fun playing and experimenting with the material.
From here on, if I have the opportunity, I would like to continue exploring leather more deeply and create further works using the material.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who was involved with and supported Mabuchi during this residency. Thank you very much.
