Ayaka Terajima (*1987, Japan) creates unglazed ceramic sculptures bridging ancient traditions and modern consumerism. Inspired by Jōmon pottery, Japan’s oldest ceramic vessels, she reinterprets their symbolism with contemporary elements. Jōmon motifs, like rope patterns and snakes, symbolized death, regeneration, and rebirth. In ancient Japan, snakes and the moon represented renewal, while Jōmon pottery, believed to store water, connected to life and the moon. Terajima also draws from modern packaging design, incorporating relief patterns and negative spaces from unbranded plastic containers. Using recycled clay and her own molding technique, she contrasts ceramic craftsmanship with disposable culture, exploring materiality, transformation, and the lifecycle of objects in the context of consumption and recycling.