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Hikaru Dorodango
Hikaru Dorodango ("shiny mud dumpling") is a Japanese art practice derived from the pastime of children making mud balls. Personally, I approach this practice as a meditative technique, as well as using the resulting artifacts as grounding tools for ongoing contemplative practice.
The process of making dorodango is simple, but the results feel alchemical. The final artifacts are an expression of process refinement. They celebrate what's possible when we combine abundant raw materials with an intention for a more beautiful world.
Most dorodango are made from two ingredients: dirt and water. Different soils found in different location have their own unique properties. Each dorodango is a snapshot of place, time, and technique. Each surface bears the scars of contrary forces at work within the ball as it has cured. Uniform tension throughout the sphere often gives way to cracking in unique lines and patterns. They are each elegant in their own way, because of their imperfections.
Making hikaru dorodango is a lovely way of capturing earth that is special to you, whether it reminds you of home, or a place you have traveled. I offer occasional workshops for those individuals interested in experiencing the meditative wisdom of this technique. Though frequently frustrating, the dorodango process inspires mindfulness and connection to place.
Recently, I partnered with the funeral home where my grandfather was a mortician for many years. For interested families, I take the cremated remains of their loved ones, and combine their ashes with a naturally-sourced clay substrate I harvest from high in the Wasatch Mountains. The resulting dorodango is more than a mud ball, or sculpture. It's a functional memorial which family and friends can take off the shelf often and hold in their hands.
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