Omura Shunji

Omura Shunji (b. 1962, Hyōgo – Japan) began his glass art studies soon after completing high school. Following his academic pursuits at the Tokyo Glass Art Institution, he worked for three years at Midsummer Glassmakers in Cambridge, UK. On his return to Japan, he spent four years working at the Niijima Glass Art Center. Omura also set up his own studio in the Chiba prefecture. He is currently appointed as professor within the Department of Industrial, Interior and Craft Design at Musashino Art University, where he lectures on the Glass course.

Omura defines his creative activity as “an exploration of the possibilities of a hidden attraction in glass materials, in the field of sculpture and crafts” that gives rise to a “modern glass art”. He believes beauty can be found and captured at that precise moment when the temperature inside a furnace is raised even further and the entire glass work is seen to move gradually, starting to “collapse” through a combination of heat and gravity. Within this very brief period of time, which only lasts a few seconds, the artist has to make the important decision of when to stop the movement of glass to prevent it from collapsing entirely. Omura deems this crucial moment to be one of the most exciting stages of the glass-making process, leading to what he terms “instant art”.