Rise & Set

Rise & Set is an exhibition inspired by the true story of three incredible girls: Sutematsu Yamakawa Oyama, Shige Nagai Uriu, and Ume Tsuda. In the mid 1800s, an American naval commander docked in Edo Bay and demanded that Japan open itself to trade with the west. Three young girls from the prominent samurai families were sent on an important mission, to go to America and learn about Western culture. The youngest among them was just six years old when their journey began, and none spoke English. The exhibition catalog is broken into three books, each focusing on one of the girls, and one leg of their amazing journey. The visual style was developed to reflect both Japanese and American cultures- at times calling to mind quilting, the process of stitching together two disparate things to make something entirely new.

rise & set

Rise & Set is an exhibition inspired by the true story of three incredible girls: Sutematsu Yamakawa Oyama, Shige Nagai Uriu, and Ume Tsuda. In the mid 1800s, an American naval commander docked in Edo Bay and demanded that Japan open itself to trade with the west. Three young girls from the prominent samurai families were sent on an important mission, to go to America and learn about Western culture. The youngest among them was just six years old when their journey began, and none spoke English. The exhibition catalog is broken into three books, each focusing on one of the girls, and one leg of their amazing journey. The visual style was developed to reflect both Japanese and American cultures- at times calling to mind quilting, the process of stitching together two disparate things to make something entirely new.