Japanese artist Yuki Tatsumi worked for many years as a waiter in some of Tokyo’s busiest restaurants, until he found an opportunity to explore the bridge between art and the materials around him.
Collecting the multitude of chopstick wrappers left behind every day, the unique shapes and personal creations by patrons of his restaurants slowly became an artistic project.
Each chopstick wrapper represents a customer, a moment in their day, potentially a decision they made or a daydream they had.
Displaying the formations on a simple white backdrop, Tatsumi has managed to capture the beauty in the seemingly mundane, from delicate origami styles to casual rejection.
Tatsumi extended his project even further, travelling to around 47 prefectures across Japan, enlisting restaurants and eateries, small bars and street food vendors to allow him to collect the waste.
A Tokyo exhibition was held in 2017 showcasing up to 8000 of his pieces, and another is expected in 2018. To see the full scale of Tatsumi’s work head over to the official website.
Via Concrete Playground.
