「Ocho Camp」

　自然の時の流れに身を置く。アウトドアチェアに腰掛け、焚き火で作った料理を味わう。食事を終えたら星空を眺め、テントで虫の声を聞きながら眠る。そんな非日常の時間にお気に入りのキャンプ道具が寄り添ってくれます。
　香北町にあるOcho Campを営む西奥起一さん・栄利子さん夫妻。京都の芸大を卒業後、メキシコに住みアート活動の後、カフェとギャラリーを始めようと高知へ。地区150年の古民家を改修してカフェを始めます。忙しい毎日の中、家族と過ごす時間をつくりながら仕事ができる、と2015年キャンプブランドを立ち上げます。作るのは、長く使える〝質感〟のある道具たち。
　Ocho Campのキャンプ道具は、職人の手作り。織物は、メキシコ職人の手染め、手織り。また、高知の家具職人、土佐打刃物職人、大阪の革職人とも一緒に商品を作っています。経年劣化で味わいが深まり、修理しながら一生使える品を目指しています。
　「鹿のオブジェ」は、商品とアート作品の間のような作品。身近にある枝や草花を使って角に見立てられるもので、使い手も楽しめる作品です。

　Lose yourself in the flow of nature's time. Sit in an outdoor chair and taste food cooked over an open fire. After finishing your meal, gaze up at the starry sky and fall asleep in your tent while listening to the sound of insects. Your favorite camping equipment will accompany you during these extraordinary times.
　Kiichi and Eiriko Nishioku run Ocho Camp in Kohoku Town. After graduating from Kyoto University of Arts, they lived in Mexico and worked as artists before moving to Kochi to start a café and gallery. They renovated a 150-year-old house in the district and opened a café. In 2015, he launched a camping brand to allow him to spend time with his family and work in the midst of his busy daily life. Ocho Camp makes tools with a “texture” that can be used for a long time.

　Ocho Camp's camping gear is handmade by artisans. Textiles are hand-dyed and hand-woven by Mexican artisans. We also work with furniture craftsmen in Kochi, Tosa cutlery craftsmen, and leather craftsmen in Osaka. Our goal is to create products that can be repaired and used for a lifetime, as they become more durable with age and deterioration.
　The “Deer Object” is a work of art that lies somewhere between a product and a work of art. It is a piece that can be made to look like antlers using familiar branches and flowers, and is a work that can be enjoyed by the user as well.

写真＝河上展儀
Photo by Kawakami Nobuyoshi