From the Centre to the Edge

Oct 4

2 min read

Our Archive identifies this glass plate as a work by Iwata Hisatoshi. In the first photograph, six petal-like shapes gather inside a circular rim. Turquoise, cream, muted red and yellow-gold tones repeat through the pattern, while a clearer outer area gives it space. Start at the centre and let your eye move outwards.

Archive photograph of a glass plate with six petal-like shapes, nested coloured lines, a clear outer band and a dark rim. — Archive photograph: six petal-like shapes within a clear outer band and a dark rim.

1. Follow one coloured line

Choose one narrow line near the centre. Follow it through a petal towards its rounded outer end, then look for a neighbouring line. The colours form smaller shapes inside larger ones; some curves stay close together, while others have more space between them. Try following the space between two lines as carefully as the lines themselves. Where does your eye slow down, and where does it jump to another colour?

2. Pause before the rim

Move beyond the petals into the outer band. Here the white background is visible through the glass, and thin circular lines echo the dark edge. Compare the width of this quieter area with the coloured shapes it surrounds. Does the rim make the flower-like pattern feel contained, or send your attention back towards the centre? Notice a brighter patch on the right before assuming it belongs to the pattern; compare its appearance in the second photograph.

3. Compare the other view

Archive photograph of the glass plate from another side, with a black circular centre and three pale round points. — Archive photograph: another side, showing a black central circle and three pale points.

The second photograph shows the plate from another side. A black circular feature occupies the centre, with three pale round points along its edge. Parts of the coloured petals remain visible beyond the circle. Choose one petal and compare its lines with the first view: what can you recognise, and what is less easy to follow? A changed angle gives you a new arrangement of visible details, even when you are looking at the same object.

Finally, return to the first photograph and take in the whole plate. The busy centre, the repeating petals and the darker rim each offer a place to pause. Which one now holds your attention? You can name a colour, a curve or a gap without needing to settle every question about the object.