Salt Holds Precious Memories
When a salt installation destroyed by the Noto Peninsula earthquake is reborn as jewelry, a quiet memory can rest against the heart.
The Fragments of Memory Project is a hands-on workshop where you seal one tiny grain of “memory salt” in clear resin and take it home as an accessory. Please join us and feel the moment when a shared memory connects gently with your own.
From Ruins to Remembrance
On 1 January 2024, the Noto earthquake toppled my permanent outdoor work Corridor of Memory—a three-ton tower of salt created for the Oku-Noto Triennale. Invited to Kanazawa University’s “Noto Satoyama Satoumi SDGs Meister Program,” I discussed with students whether the work should be restored or left as a quake monument.
Out of that conversation the workshop was born: participants encase shards of fallen salt in resin and “wear a memory.” The first session, held in heavily damaged Suzu City in November 2024, marked a gentle but determined beginning.
What We Do in the Workshop
Participants of any age place recovered salt crystals into a resin mold, finish them as earrings, pendants, or charms, and carry the memory home. To date we have held sessions in Suzu and Kanazawa, welcoming several hundred people—evacuees in temporary housing, local children, and visitors from across Japan—all creating quietly while reflecting on their own memories.
This project links participants, the local community, and visitors through a new, wearable form of remembrance, allowing a circle of empathy to spread softly outward.
The project is run by the Fragments of Memory Project Committee (Chair: Motoi Yamamoto).
Members are volunteers, mainly graduates of the 2024 Kanazawa-University “Noto SDGs Meister” Yamamoto Seminar.
For inquiries or collaboration proposals, please use our contact form.
Related Links
Official Project Site
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Condition of the original salt work after the earthquake
Oku-Noto Triennale