Hikaru dorodango roughly translates from Japanese to "shiny dumpling" according to New Mexico artist Bruce Gardner who is responsible for this therapeutic spherical mud art. Forming the shiny orbs with his hands, he has constructed a series of different and fascinating designs. Gardner learned the practice from sci-fi author William Gibson who explained the art's relation to the Japanese pursuit for perfection.
Although the spheres look fairly simple it took months to master the perfect circle shape and experiment with different types of soil. Gardner is always looking to improve the variance of his art and better his technique, loving the relaxing creation process. Once the mud is dried, each piece has a distinctive quality -- some resembling the texture of cantaloupes -- is strikingly smooth or has ancient-looking cracks down the middle. Not only is this mud art strangely fascinating to look at, but Gardner boasts of the state of serenity that comes with creating the pieces, referring to it as an addicting "flow state" that he looks forward to.
Calming Spherical Mud Art
Bruce Gardner Makes Mud Balls Using the Relaxing Art of Hikaru Dorodango
Trend Themes
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Industry Implications
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