Hannah Gallery presents in Barcelona Maquette 1:1=1 the second solo show with the Japanese artist Fumiko Gotô. Ten hand-carved wood with Urushi lacquer surface finish brooches inspired by architectural ornaments created exclusively for our gallery.


The work of MAQUETTE 1:1=1, a series consisting of brooches/objects, is inspired by architectural ornaments. Each piece is carved out of beech wood and finished with Japanese Urushi lacquer in high gloss, paying an Homage to the oldest surface treatment used for temples and shrines in ancient Japan.

Perception of space is marked by architectural elements which compose our surroundings, and the recognition of that space is linked to the scale of human physiology.

The design of the brooches/objects evolved from three elements: cross-sections of baseboard, chair or handrails, and crown mouldings. These components define and frame a space conceptually, connecting floor to wall and wall to ceiling or handrail that escort human movement in space. The profiles are designed and arranged; some have been taken from existing examples, all true to architectural scale, therefore the title MAQUETTE 1:1.

The fascinating beauty of shapes in numerous variations is revealed by dissecting mouldings that otherwise are simply applied longitudinally in a room, and by viewing the sections one is appealed to imagine how complete mouldings may appear in a room. The sectional segments frozen in time as abstract shapes, awaiting the moment of transformation as an architectural ornament, portray perhaps an analysis of the designing process, or a narrative of metamorphosis.

As Fumiko states: My interest in creating this composition is to reveal the otherwise imperceptible core as a visible and tangible shape, experimenting with the possible harmony or maybe discord by shifting the scale through repositioning ornaments taken directly from architecture onto the human body, and to validate its allure as a body ornament which synchronically brought to light by an unorthodox process of designing jewellery.