Submitted by WA ContentsDesignart Tokyo installations explore new perspectives through art, design, craft, and technology Japan Architecture News - Dec 24, 2024 - 14:24 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Designwork Tokyo hosted one of the biggest design and art festivals in Japan, encompassing a broad range of fields like fashion, interior design, design, and art.Themed as Reframing - the Beginning of a Shift, this year's design event hosted 117 exhibitions at 96 venues presented works and content from around the world. This year's event recorded over 227,000 visitors for its 117 exhibitions.The 10-day event transformed the city of Tokyo into an art museum. Artists presented new values through reimagining conventional frameworks.The official show this year highlighted the creations of artists who, by presenting new ideals through unconventional viewpoints, are not constrained by traditional frameworks.Four artists at the vanguard of several industries, including art, design, craft, and technology, along with eighteen groups of creators, curated the "Reframing" exhibition. The exhibition was intentionally not separated by the aforementioned fields in order to prevent restricting the spectators' perspective, which gave visitors an extremely engaging experience.Space Design: HYBE Design Team In collaboration with: World Co. / Nomura Co. / Stylem Takesada Osaka / Setup / Timber Crew / MDES / Reset / K3 / Mimaki Engineering / Lintec Sign System. Image Nacasa & PartnersTo draw attention to the appealing aspects of each piece, the HYBE Design Team, under the direction of Jun Takeda, employed stands composed completely of solid recycled material called "TUTTI" for the spatial design. It seemed as though the exhibition stands were a natural extension of the artwork.They not only made it possible for guests to move freely and take in the artwork without feeling alone, but they also infused the space with vitality. Overall, the design decision demonstrated a fresh viewpoint, a new "standard," by utilizing presence and texture without the usage of expensive materials.The four curators were contemporary art curator Kodama Kanazawa for the Art, interior stylist and Space Designer Masato Kawai for Design, Yudai Tachikawa, and artistic director, social sculptor Ryuta Aoki for Craft.World Architecture Community is official media partner of Designart Tokyo 2024, and bringing you the most captivating installations from this year's festival.The fascinating power of natural materialsJoint Exhibition: Woodwork at Axis GalleryFort's new series(ODS / Oniki Design Studio). Image RYO USAMIWith the renewed interest in wood as an essential material for furniture and interior design, a dedicated exhibition was held at the Axis Gallery in Roppongi. Featured works included architect and designer Koichiro Oniki's ODS / Oniki Design Studio's new Fort series, three-dimensional assemblages using Japanese Kumiko techniques.Additionally, Takusei Kajitani presented a 10 years labor in his work Consentable, which captured and evoked the theme of "Deep dive into what I want." The Shizuoka based custom- made furniture workshop iwakagu presented wooden furniture that reflected on the nature of wood itself and reimagined the relationship between the home and woodworking. Maruhon exhibited flooring utilizing Japanese Oak wilt and custom-made furniture fabricated in a way that highlighted the natural charm of the wood, iron, and stone materials.Courtesy of StraftStraft, Exhibition "Nest" (Under 30)Under the title of Exhibition Nest, Straft, a craft unit consisting of Tamaki Ishii and Kazuma Yamagami, exhibited works using rice straw, which has long been revered as a holy material.Throughout history it has served a variety of purposes including creating roofing, walls, and daily tools, as well as being used in Shinto rituals. The exhibition explored the essence of spiritual richness needed today through a perspective that captured the importance of coexisting in harmony with nature. The works shown included impressive and powerful works of clothing and furniture.Expanding the possibilities of product design through new perspectivesSaki Takeshita, 130, AAAQ. Image Kohei YamamatoAAAQ (Under 30)AAAQ is a creative unit of product designer/producer Atsuro Miyako and UI designer So Ohta. This year, the duo presented Visible Stress, an appreciation of the texture of light.The work was created through photoelasticity, a phenomenon that vividly visualizes forces that are typically invisible to the eye. The artists conceived the piece by taking a fresh look at the materials around us and considering their latent power of beauty.Image Ryo UsamiFarm and BuildFarm and Build member Ken Sato introduced a series of furniture made from Najio Washi in his Najio Series. Najio Washi is a type of paper that has been produced in the northern part of Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture since the Edo period, known for its resistance to stains and discoloration even when placed in direct sunlight.The "Pillar Stool" (white) was made by pasting Naijo Washi with starch glue and applying a thin layer of shellac varnish using a technique called French polish to reveal the texture of the fibers and mud in the paper. The work Pedestl Table (black/left) was also presented.Farm And Build, Pulse in collaboration with. Image Ryo UsamiPulsePulse member Daiki Mitsui introduced a new type of ikkanbari (Japanese lacquered papier-mch), soga ikkanbari, which incorporates the traditional techniques of ikkanbari to give the inorganic materials of today the quality of a hand crafted product.Ikkanbari is a technique of layering Japanese paper over bamboo baskets or woven bamboo and applying persimmon tannin or lacquer to increase strength and create a form that can be used for a long time. For this series, five different materials were used to create vases.Beautiful design and art presentationImage Nacasa & PartnersKEF A Celebration of Space Immersed in Sound and LightThe British audio brand KEF came together for a collaboration with renowned designer Michael Young and Klein Dytham architecture (KDa), designer of the KEF Music Gallery in Aoyama.The exhibit included Sticklight, a vibrantly colored display and innovative design work by Michael Young from the 1990s. As well as this, KEF's LS60 Wireless speakers (also designed by Young) were featured in a striking, loud speaker-shaped space at the KEF Music Gallery. The exhibit was an impressive fusion of the three artists' creations.Image Kohei YamamatoFujifilm Design CenterA Taste of Fuji: A Journey with Fujioh SakeFujioh is an original Japanese sake brewed with high-quality spring water from the Fujifilm film factory grounds. In conjunction with the release of a new single-serving cans (a special sized 180ml sake can), an installation was held to take visitors on a journey to Mount Fuji. The production took place in the Clay Studio, a large underground space that was originally designed by all 80 of Fujifilm's in-house designers.Evolving upcyclingReusing discarded materials in a new wayCourtesy of HonokaAqua Clara Honoka Trace of Water"Aqua Clara," a leading company in the water server industry in Japan, showcased a bottle upcycling exhibition in collaboration with the design lab "Honoka" to explore the potential of bottle materials. Returnable bottles, which have absorbed significant moisture after serving their purpose, undergo processing with heat to create subtle changes in color and texture that evoke traces of water.Honoka, with its extensive experience in various processing methods and materials, harnessed the potential of polycarbonate bottle materials with their moisture-absorbing properties and strength. By developing "architectural materials" that combine aesthetics and functionality and presenting products applying these materials, they demonstrated the future potential of upcycling.Image Nacasa & PartnersHiroto Ikebe (Under 30) Cocoon AnatomyHiroto Ikebe aims to bring new perspectives and values to the diminishing practice of sericulture (silk farming). By reading and reinterpreting its existence and combining traditional techniques rooted in the land with the latest technology, he has created a new kind of garment made from the waste products of cocoons, this is "Cocoon Anatomy."Through a captivating exhibition, the importance of revitalizing and carrying on the memory of sericulture was conveyed through visualizing the relationship between materials and producers. As this relationship grows invisible due to industrialization, the artist restores understanding of the textile manufacturing process.From new products to new perspectives, interiors that enrich lifestylesBridge sofa & table / ixc. Edition. Image Nacasa & PartnersLIXIL | bathtopethinking of the earth & people, bathrooms evolveCelebrating the 100th anniversary of its water and tile business in Japan, LIXIL introduced bathtope, a bathroom space based on the concept that A new era of freedom in bathing. Equipped with a foldable fabric bathtub, the exhibit posed the question: Is it okay for the daily bathing custom loved by so many Japanese people to remain unchanged in the future?The result of the exploration posed was bathtope, a flexible bathroom space that can adapt to suit a variety of personalities and lifestyles, as well as a bathing method that can reduce environmental impact and while also providing enjoyment. bathtope is neither a shower room nor a bathroom, but rather a single space that can be freely switched between the two. The exhibition proposed a new way of thinking that embraces diversity and provides free choices according to the time of day, season, and one's mood.Image Nacasa & PartnersNomura Co., Ltd. "Being - What if furniture had a life of its own?"Nomura Co., Ltd., the team of professionals focuses on the integrated creation of spaces where people gather, including commercial facilities, hotels, workplaces, expos, and museums. The Nomura design team reimagined the relationship between people and architectural objects, creating environments that foster connection and experience. One challenge they faced was the tendency to discard perfectly usable furniture, often due to a lack of emotional connection.By cultivating long-term care and attachment, they believed there could be a shift from merely "owning and using" objects to "being with" them, establishing a deeper bond.This exhibition explored how our perception of furniture might evolve if we saw it as having a life rather than simply existing. Through a series of experimental designs, it invited society to reconsider the changing value and relationship between people and objects. This sustainable design approach was well received by visitors from outside of Japan, who requested that the exhibition be expanded to other countries.Artwork to color the spaceManami Numata sync Inc. Sky Pocket. Image Yosuke OwashiManami Numata sync Inc. Sky Pocket"sync public" which is attached to sync Inc. at their new Aoyama-dori location, held a solo exhibition of Manami Numata, a remarkable artist who has received numerous awards post graduation from the graduate school of Tokyo University of the Arts. Based in her hometown of Hagi City, she creates works while experiencing the eloquence of nature.She had added a new colorful series based on the concept of sky to her body of work, which overlaps her life and journey using maps and still life as motifs. The exhibition featured colorful works from this new series, capturing the moment when the sky is at its most beautiful transformation.Image Nacasa & PartnersLionrugs X Kaoruko Fusion of Japonism and Persian carpetsLionrugs Aoyama, A gallery store specializing in Persian carpets, exhibited the latest works created by New York based contemporary artist Kaoruko. In addition to her recent works, Persian carpets from her past works were also exhibited.The delicate colors of Kaorukos artwork beautifully decorated the interior and attracted visitors into a world where feminine Japonism met the traditional crafts of the Middle East.An exhibition that goes behind the scenes of the design processImage Kohei YamamatoBehind the scenes of Takrams product designTakram, a design innovation firm that has worked with innovators in a variety of fields, held an exhibition focusing on product design from among the many projects it has worked on. The exhibition revealed the behind-the-scenes design process along with actual products. What is the design process when seeking to create new value together with a client?The exhibition revealed the materials and prototypes from the project period, as well as the methods used to achieve high quality. Many people visited during the exhibition period, as it was a rare chance to see behind-the-scenes of the design process.Image Kohei YamamatoThe Conran Shop, 30th Anniversary Inspirations for the NextCelebrating its 30th anniversary, the Conran Shop Marunouchi store introduced a new project "Inspirations for the Next with four designers (Akihiro Kumagaya, Momoko Kudo, Shigeki Fujishiro, and Sera Yanagisawa), which aimed to create contemporary furniture by collaborating with crafts and makers unique to Japan, as well as cultures and materials rooted in Asia and Japan.In the center table of the event, various inspirations were displayed that represented cornerstones of product development, focusing on the seven functions and structures including placing, solidifying, stacking, carrying, wrapping, bending, and hanging. Items displayed included folk tools, crafts, and tools researched by the designers of the Conran Shop.Top image in the article: View of Reframing Exhibition. 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