I wrote a post on SUMICA kids furniture by student designer Michiko Eguchi. Read it here…
I also did a post on SEAL, a Japanese company that makes these cool bags (and shoes) from recycled tire tubes. Read it here…
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I wrote a post on SUMICA kids furniture by student designer Michiko Eguchi. Read it here…
I also did a post on SEAL, a Japanese company that makes these cool bags (and shoes) from recycled tire tubes. Read it here…
Riding off my previous post I wanted to share some more work by up-and-coming designer Wataru Kumano. After completing a design program in Japan Wataru relocated to Finland in 2002. He completed in MA in furniture design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, at which point he returned to Japan and took a position at the Tokyo studio of Jasper Morrison. Last year he founded his own design studio and appears to be at the point where he is revving up his design engine which, if I might add, has a nice blend of Nordic naturals and Japanese simplicity.
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I found this image on his website to be quite inspiring. Who knew all the shades of green could be found in a scallion? I like the idea of a Food Diary. After all, we are what we eat.
With cost-competitiveness sweeping through the manufacturing industry like an angry lady with a broom, sparing only those with the strength to scale up capacity and scale down price, what are Japan’s small companies and artisans to do? Inevitably, embrace. That is the philosophy of mass item, a new store started by Takashi Yoshida aimed at exploring the possibilities of plastic. He has enlisted 3 designers to assist him – 2 of which, if you are familiar with spoon & tamago, you should be familiar with as well – Shunsuke Umiyama (Microworks), Norihiko Terayama (Studio Note) and newcomer Kumano Wataru.
Although the pieces have a highly manufactured quality to them, every piece gets finished off with a human touch – whether it is vibration finish or a hand-assembly. I like the idea of subtle resistance. Here is an overview of what they have done for the shop.
Ladder by Microworks (he seems to be obsessed with ladders)
Layerscape by Studio Note
Tokyo Clock by Kumano Wataru
Related:
“A man from Fukuoka, a woman from Tokyo….” I had no idea what this sweet commercial was for up until the final 5 seconds! It’s based on an actual documentary that was filmed over a 1-month time span. Impressive and romantic!
If you happen to be in a romantic and inconspicuous mood, a combination I can’t say I encounter often, head over to Roku Nana, a new secret bar that just opened up in Roppongi. Nestled between buildings, Roku Nana made claim to the 3rd floor and a strategically situated rooftop that affords views of Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Tower. Literally 6 7, the bar takes its name from the address (Roppongi 7th ward), the only thing that will help you find the place because there are no signs. Just an address and telephone number.
Roku Nana was designed by Yasumichi Morita whose firm Glamorous, if the name didn’t tip you off, has a taste for flamboyant décor that straddles a delicate balance between classy and corny. The bar is a follow-up to imoarai, his previous secret bar in Roppongi.
Verde Roppongi 3F
7-16-11 Roppongi, Minato-ku
Tel：03-6438-9915
Tokyo Visualist is a joint collaboration by Satoru Yamashita (+81) and Masako Shinn (Graphis). The book explores the work of 32 “cutting edge†artists and designers through interviews and essays by curators including David Elliot (Mori Art Museum) and Sarah Suzuki (MoMA). It attempts to decipher the current for clues on what lies ahead in the future. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it but if you are in NY on March 2nd they are having an event at the Japan Society that would be worthwhile.
featured artist Tomoko Konoike
featured artist Hideki Inaba
featured artist Kohei Nawa
A descendant of samurai-era Bizen sword makers-turned-Buddhist priests, Miya Ando, is a Japanese American who resides in Brooklyn (Yay!). She carries on her family’s heritage by primarily working with steel, and with a very minimal aesthetic. Right now she is in Germany, preparing for her first Berlin show at Dam Stuhltrager Gallery (from February 20 to March 20.)
In addition to her series of wall works on 14 gauge mild steel panels, she will be showing Hikari Cube, an interactive piece that was conceived in collaboration with software artist James George. Designed to look like a steel cube, their sculpture has a hidden motion detector able to ‘hear’ when a person is approaching- which then mimics normal breathing patterns via a light which is transmitted through the cube.
Below is a demo of the Hikari Cube
Hikari Cube from James George on Vimeo.
I am currently on a quest to replace all our silverware with wood because I have never liked metal in my mouth, or the way it sounds when rubbed up against ceramics.This CO ZEN urushi cutlery set for kids could work nicely for little Huey. Urushi, also known as Japanese lacquer ware, is made from the sap of a tree and has been used to make dishes and utensils since the Jomon period. The beautifully hand-crafted set instills a sense of tradition and significance in the child and ritualizes the act of sitting down to eat. I am all for teaching kids the importance of eating, and what you put in your mouth.
The CO ZEN set (18,000 yen) comes with a spoon, fork, knife, desert spoon and chopsticks. The lid also flips over to serve as a place mat. It reminds me a lot of the Fun Fam Table Manners set.
thanks to @skrtr for the tip
I have a column in Snow Magazine covering Bunzo Ogawa’s Absolute Arrows, a public restroom project in Hiroshima. Read it here!
Kobe Design University recently held their senior exhibition. Designer Masahiro Minami took a trip over and came back with pictures of some fantastic, high-quality work. So many young, talented designers! Here are some of my favorites.
(all images by Masahiro Minami. Click to enlarge)
This is actually the underlay for a bento box; a solution to decade-old problems like leakage and movement. Love the aesthetic!
A wooden bicycle complete with wooden gears. Only a student could come up with something so outrageous.
Rad oversized rings
I’m not quite sure what this is but I love the display.
This 3D cutout must have taken several endless nights.
Of particular interest to me was this futuristic digital camera. It’s a working model that was co-developed by the University. The way it works is you drape it over your neck and take photographs by creating a frame using your hands. Neat!
So if you are not following us and would like to, here we are!
Why now, you may ask… There are 2 reasons and they are dependent on each other. First of all, honestly, I didn’t think it would catch on. But the real reason came after I realized Twitter was here to stay. The other day I had an epiphany. I realized that if I didn’t embrace this technology it would be the first step towards becoming a parent who didn’t understand the technology that their kids use. And on top of all the responsibilities we have as parents, this is one more important one.
One final thought on what I would like my twitter account to be: I still don’t understand why bloggers tweet their blog posts…. It seems very repetitive. So I hope to diversify my tweets to cover some of the topics that don’t make it into my blog. Believe me.. there is plenty.
I wonder what little Huey would think if I replaced all his Tomica (トミカ) die-cast toy vehicles with these pieces of art by Japanese duo Paramodel? I am guessing he wouldn’t be too pleased but I would certainly get a kick out of it.
Each tommy sushi ($270) is an authentic piece of artwork. (Yes, it would be an expensive practical joke.) In the words of the artist, “Fundamental to our artwork is the incorporation of toys we used to play with, and the picturesque sceneries we imagined in childhood. We enjoy combining scraps such as broken pieces of wood or screws left in factories with daily necessities or the toys that we played with as kids.†If you want to learn more about Paramodel, allow me to point you in the direction of this article published back on ’07.
click images to enlarge
Here is another recent project by Atelier BNK. They just put the finishing touches on this impressive elementary school last month, just in time for the new school year, which starts in Spring. I love the use of materials in this school, notably the wooden railings. That stairway is also beautiful. I’m happy to see such a gorgeous facility be built but it’s also surprising. Last year Hokkaido closed 7 schools because of their low birth rate and dwindling population. They even put 4 of the schools up on an eBay-like auction! I guess it depends on what part of Hokkaido you are in.
Photos by Koji Sakai
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Atelier BNK, a Hokkaido-based architectural firm celebrating its 40th year of business, recently completed Jorg House, a residential unit located in the northern snow country. The L-shaped home is built 5 stories high to allow maximum sunlight (when there is any) to enter. The roof, entryway and lookout are also designed to accommodate heavy snowfall.
Photos by Koji Sakai
Planning on checking out the Tokyo 69th International Gift Show starting tomorrow and continuing on through the end of the week? Be sure to check out the Takahashi Kogei booth where designers Oji Masanori and Rina Ono will be showcasing their respective new works.
From Oji Masanori: KAMI dishes, a new addition to the KAMI line of paper-thin wooden cups. To be used as coasters, lids or whatever you want, really. Also, the Kakudo wooden butter cases.
From Rina Ono: The wooden desert cup and goblet.
Wood is horrible at conducting heat, which makes it ideal as a container for cold deserts because you don’t get condensation!
Related:
Rounding out my several posts on accessories from last week is the design studio PULL+PUSH PRODUCTS. The studio has been based out of Kyoto ever since their founding in 2002. It is headed by designer and raftsman Nobuhiro Sato (I know, I meant to write craftsman, but wouldn’t it be funny if he was also a rafts man?), who is supported by Sanae Komatsu. Together, they form the tight-knit design studio, meaning, they handle everything from designing and production to packaging and shipping.
By the way, I love their adorable profile pics whose playful nature is consistent with their work. They derive inspiration from the cold and heavy to create the fun and exciting. For example, this abandoned building lamp (12,600 yen) would make for an awesome accent piece.
The drain planter (3,780 yen) is also fun, in a gross kind of way. It’s like all the gook that gets caught in the drain decided to sprout greens.
Then there is the incinerator (4,410 yen) that burns incense.
Perhaps my favorite is the ingenious mortar push-pins (630 yen). Although they only come in packs of 6, how often have you exhausted your supply of 500?
Sandwich on Rye (3,000 yen) is a desktop accessory that takes its name from the versatile characteristics of, you guessed it, a sandwich. You can put whatever you like in-between. It’s the latest brainchild of Haruka Nakai of Design Office Switch.
Catching the wave from my last post I’m going to take the day to post about a few other accessories I’ve been eyeing lately. First up is Frames, a mobile made from hinoki, or Japanese cypress.
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Taking its cue from the work of Alexander Calder, the minimalist/cubist structure uses transparent strings to create the illusion of levitation. It also presents itself with a 2nd element of joy; the shadows it projects onto a wall. It was designed by Shigeki Fujishiro, who left the design firm IDEE in 2005 to start his own studio.
The mobile debuted in 2008 at an exhibition at Tortoise in LA. They then traveled back to Japan where they resided for 3 months at an exhibition at NACT (National Art Center Tokyo) in early 2009. And finally, after their long pilgrimage, they are available for purchase (36,750 yen) at Scope. You can even watch a small video here if you scroll down towards the bottom.
Kid-friendly designer Rie Isono recently designed Awasefu Cacao (3,800 – 4,800 yen), a multi-pocket carrier to help keep moms, or anyone, really organized.
UPDATE: my bad. I thought it had multiple pockets but the designer pointed out that in fact it’s a single pocket carrier that comes in different sizes. Each size is designed for a specific purpose. I still think it’s neat.
Made out of awasefu, an artificial leather that is gentle on hands and small accessories, the holder takes its cue from the cocoa pod – before it’s processed into chocolate, of course – that houses all its little beans in different pockets.
Related:
A big surprise on my doorstep when I got home yesterday! My friends at Branch sent over a care package of the beautiful Wasara disposable tableware, fresh off the boat from Japan (read the story here). The actuals are even more stunning than they appeared on screen. My only dilemma now is, what kind of shindig do I need to throw to justify the usage of these beauties. Purchase Wasara HERE!
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