FRIENDS Vol. 005Gregg T. Alf

Curator, Tokyo Stradivarius Festival 2018 Exhibition/Violinmaker

What is the essential value of a ‘Stradivari’ violin? Why are they amongst the most precious commodities on earth? How can the sound of a ‘Stradivari’ bring tears to our eyes?

Answers to such questions can be found in the aesthetic ideals of the Japanese people: The beauty of natural materials; harmony, simplicity and elegance in an object’s design, appreciation of human imperfections, tool marks and asymmetry in its creation, … these provide a new context for understanding the art of violinmaking.

By honoring of a violin’s provenance and its impermanence over time, our bittersweet reverence for the beauty imparted by the toll of daily use and by the erosion of time can transform the functional quality of a mere working tool into a true work of art.