Creating Japanese lanterns with Mélanie Matranga

The chōchin is both a Japanese lantern that lights up parades and celebrations, and also an everyday object. It has been made since the sixteenth century, the result of centuries-old expertise. With a bamboo frame covered with painted strips of washi paper, it can be both functional and decorative.

In this workshop, children will discover this practice through the creative eye of artist Mélanie Matranga. They will imagine animals and characters to paint in Indian ink on different strips of washi paper.

Once assembled around the lantern, the object becomes a vessel for dreams: each side tells a fragment of a story. By adding other layers of paper cut into shapes of their choice, children can filter the lantern’s light and personalise their creation.

Participants will take their own personalised lantern home with them.

See Mélanie Matranga’s works in the exhibition Beyond our Horizons: from Tokyo to Paris.