BLUE IS FOR FRESHNESS

The project unfolds from an ongoing observation of fresh fish displays in Japan, where food presentation becomes a carefully choreographed act. Fish are often arranged on intensely blue surfaces / plastic trays or tarps / where color acts not just as backdrop but as a signal of freshness, cleanliness, and control. The blue amplifies the silvery sheen of the fish while distancing it from its natural context, transforming the organic into something almost abstract. Through this, I approach these displays as both aesthetic compositions and cultural codes, where blue evokes water, preservation, and calm, yet introduces a subtle artificiality. I am drawn to this contradiction: an attempt to preserve life through visual perfection, while the subject itself signals stillness and absence. Grounded in my existing textile practice, quilting and stitching function as structural tools rather than illustrative devices. Instead of depicting fish directly, the textile work presents an abstracted version of the fish, where color and structure take precedence over representation.