Sculptures by Yoshitomo Nara are currently on exhibit at Tomio Koyama Gallery in Tokyo. According to the press release, the ceramic pieces in the show were all created at Shigaraki Ceramic Sculpture Park and mark his debut in the medium after a year of training. For those in the area, the gallery's address is below:
Tomio Koyama Gallery
1-3-2-7F Kiyosumi, Koto-ku
Tokyo, Japan 135-0024
On March 28th the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the field's most prestigious award, was given to the Japanese duo Kazuyo Sejima (right) and Ryue Nishizawa (left), who together are partners in the Tokyo-based firm SANAA. In receiving this award, they've become the 4th Japanese recipients of the Pritzker prize, joining the ranks of Kenzo Tange, Fumihiko Maki, and Tadao Ando.
This is only the third time in the history of the Pritzker Architecture Prize that a pair of architects have been recognized. The Pritzker jury explains the reasoning behind giving the award to the two by stating that through their collaborative work as SANAA "...it is virtually impossible to untangle which individual is responsible for what aspect of a particular project," and that "each building is ultimately a work that comes from the union of their two minds."
In awarding the prize to Sejima and Nishizawa the Pritzker jury heaped particular merit for the way in which "they explore like few others the phenomenal properties of continuos space, lightness, transparency, and materiality to create a subtle synthesis," adding that their work "stands in direct contrast with the bombastic and rhetorical." Two works cited by the jury as examples of these ideals are the Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio and The New Museum in New York.
For those wishing to read the entire citation from the jury or view pictures of SANAA's work, please visit the Pritzker official website. Also, CNNGO has compiled a list of works in the Tokyo area, so for those interested in possibly visiting these sites the article can be accessed here.
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Images taken from Fashionsnap.com.
When the topic of contemporary design firms is raised, it is difficult to avoid discussing Masamichi Katayama and the firm he founded in 2000, Wonderwall. While rising to prominence only in the past decade, the list of brands for which he has designed stores is impressive, including the likes of A Bathing Ape (Bape), A.P.C., and Marc Jacobs. His most recent project, Nike Flagship Store Harajuku is a testament to his accomplishments to date, having been entrusted with opening the largest store of its kind in Japan, for arguably the world's most recognizable brand.
Before his rise to notoriety, Katayama attended Osaka Design School. Upon graduating, he worked several office jobs before co-founding the design firm H. Design Associates with the late Tsutomu Kurokawa in 1992. His mark on the retail landscape hadn't been made however, until 1998, when founder of Bape, Nigo, called on Katayama to design his Busy Work Shop location in Tokyo's Harajuku district. Katayama explains, “[Nigo] allowed me to completely overthrow the conventional theory of a clothing store...Since he gave me free reign, I was able to experiment with radical ideas. It was a thrilling and valuable challenge that later enabled me to build my own style.”
Since their first collaboration on Busy Work Shop, Katayama and Nigo have worked together on countless stores located throughout the world. In an interview, Nigo explains his reaction to seeing the first store as being as if he had stepped into the film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. "It was like a virtual environment made real, a space as clean as an aseptic room." For anyone who's visited one of the Bape stores designed by Katayama, the comparison drawn to futuristic environments in sci-fi movies is unmistakable.
Although Katayama has designed many stores in Asia, he has also taken on several projects in Europe and the United States. Residents of New York City have the ability to visit two stores designed by Wonderwall, UNIQLO and Busy Work Shop, both located in Soho. Los Angeles residents can also get a first-hand glimpse of his work at Bape Store in West Hollywood. For those wishing to visit any of these locations, or perhaps some abroad, the information can be found at Wonderwall's website.
Having established himself in the world of design, it will be interesting to see the projects he is given in the years to come, as well as the possible influence his aesthetic may have on more mainstream retail spaces in the future.
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Possible links of interest:
Interview with Masamichi Katayama on Nike Flagship Store Harajuku
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As no one's noticed, I've added a "Links" section to the right of the main content. It's simply a Twitter feed where I'll share random articles pertaining to this blog's subject matter.
While I'm not going to write an article on each individual link, I thought this story I stumbled upon a few months ago deserved special mention. It's an article from VICE about the island of Hashima, site to a former coal mine, that during its glory years had a higher population density than modern-day Tōkyō. Once the mine closed, however, everyone left, and as a result Hashima has been uninhabited for years. The island is dubbed "Battleship Island" by those from the area due to the simple fact that the island is shaped like a battleship.
According to the follow up article from VICE,
"Those wishing to visit the island should apply to the Nagasaki Municipal Government at 095-829-1152. Tickets are 150 yen for primary school-aged children, and 300 yen for those of junior high school age and older. The Yamasa Kaiun maritime transport company also conducts cruises to the island, including a trip ashore, out of Nagasaki harbor. Interested parties can contact the company at 095-822-5002."
Personally, I can't wait for the day when I'll have my own digital SLR camera and the time to visit "Battleship Island."
Jeanne-Claude, who in collaboration with her husband Christo created numerous art installations across the globe, has passed away today, the result of complications of a brain aneurysm. While mention of the couple may conjure up images of installations from recent years, such as Wrapped Reichstag and The Gates, it must also be remembered that almost two decades ago, the couple chose Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and Tejon Ranch, California as sites for an installation titled, The Umbrellas.
The Umbrellas involved the installation of 3,100 umbrellas, 1,340 blue umbrellas in Japan and 1,760 yellow umbrellas in California. Planning the project began in 1984 and culminated on October 9th, 1991, when nearly 2,000 workers, both in Japan and the United States, opened the umbrellas at sunrise in both locations, with Christo apparently flying from Japan to California in order to witness both events.
The color of the umbrellas was chosen based on the color of the landscape upon which the umbrellas would be placed. Since the viewing was to take place in early fall, after Japan's typhoon season, when the landscape would be vibrant green, the color blue was chosen to embody the fresh and verdant environment. As for the umbrellas in California, yellow was chosen, as it would contrast sharply with the brown hills, the result of a dry fall.
Interestingly, the placement of the umbrellas also reflected the different characteristics of the two locations. In Japan, where land is notoriously scarce and population dense, the installation covered 12 miles, the property of 459 individuals. While in contrast, the umbrellas in California spanned across 18 miles, in this case, the property of 25 individuals.
The Umbrellas, like all the installations by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, was temporary, remaining on view for a mere 18 days before being dismantled on October 27th.
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Images taken from Fashionsnap.com.
On November 14th, 2009, Nike Japan opened a Nike Store in Harajuku's Omotesandō neighborhood. Dubbed "Nike Flagship Store Harajuku," it is the largest store of its kind in Japan, and the first flagship store to open in Tokyo.
To design the store, Nike hired Masamichi Katayama, famous for designing stores for brands such as Fred Perry and A Bathing Ape. Focusing on Nike's heritage and innovation, he created several installations throughout the store, among which include a a chandelier-like design of 500 shoes, and the "Footwear Wall," decorated with soles from 1600 shoes.
Nike Flagship Store Harajuku also contains Japan's largest NIKEiD Studio, and a section dubbed "Runner's Studio," devoted solely to fitting running shoes. In addition, the store also features the world's second "Nike Bootroom," specializing in fitting soccer boots.
Nike's move to open a new store stems from the fact that sales for sportswear has grown over the past year, despite the current economic climate. With retailers such as Uniqlo expanding their sportswear offerings, brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma have stepped up their marketing efforts in an attempt to maintain their market-share.
For those interested in visiting the store, it can be most easily reached via the Tokyo Metro Meiji Shrine Station or JR Harajuku Station. It's hours of operation are 11:00 to 20:00.
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To celebrate Gundam's 30th anniversary, an 18 meter tall 1/1 scale model of the Gundam RX-78 was recently constructed in Shiokaze Park's Taiyou Plaza, located in Odaiba. The Tokyo Parks Association in cooperation with Bandai are seeking to use the opportunity to promote Tokyo in it's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics by raising awareness of the city's push for urban renewal.
The Gundam was opened to public viewing on July 11th and will remain open through August 31st. Beginning August 1st the Gundam will sport a decal with the logo of Tokyo's bid for the 2016 Olympics on it's shoulder. Regardless of whether or not you're a fan of the Gundam franchise, I highly recommend getting a glimpse of the RX-78 if you're in the area during this time period.
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Images taken from Fashionsnap.com and Style-Arena.jp.
What began as a post on Vitamin Water quickly transformed into an entry focused on the Western firm Klein Dythan architecture (KDa). The leap in subject matter, from beverage to architecture, came from the firm's mention in an article announcing Vitamin Water's Japanese debut and the temporary space (above), GLACÉAU® popup*, KDa was asked to design for the brand's introduction to the Japanese market.
The firm was started by Mark Dythan and Astrid Klein, both educated at London's Royal College of Art. Dytham explains that he wished to move to Japan to "look at the roots of Modernism" in addition to seeking an escape from the rules that he felt constrained building design in London.
Among the more well-known projects undertaken by the firm is the Undercover Lab (above), located in Harajuku and owned by the fashion label Undercover. According to the KDa website, "the building is home to a studio, press showroom, and office." The seemingly-levitating tube was built to house and display the current season's collection. Typical to Harajuku, the building is tucked away in backstreets and takes some venturing about to discover for those unacquainted with the area. Fortunately KDa provides a map on their site as well, making the task of finding the building slightly easier.
Undoubtedly easier to find is the Uniqlo store in Ginza (above). While Uniqlo may not exactly fit in with the caliber of stores in the area (Prada, Dior, and Hermes to name a few), KDa seems to have bestowed upon the store a design worthy of the neighborhood. KDa explains of the area,
"These buildings function essentially as walk-in advertisements. They conjure desirable images to wrap around their products, aiming to grab attention and admiration (and sales). Walking down Ginza is like strolling through a glossy magazine - and these buildings are the ads. These brand images are largely communicated through the facades, which increasingly resemble screens. The Chanel store uses a facade composed of hundreds of thousands of LEDs - a high-res building-sized video screen."
With exception of Undercover Lab, all of the above are spaces designed with the consumer in mind. It must be noted however, that KDa has also undertaken numerous other projects with a different focus, such as the design of the public bath, Moku Moku Yu (below, left), and Sakura Cafe (below, right), a temporary installation built specifically for the annual viewing of cherry blossoms.
KDa has enjoyed a successful 20 years since its creation and seems to be set for an even more successful future.
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*For those wishing to visit GLACÉAU® popup, it is on the 9th floor of the building in which H&M is located (The Ice Cubes 8) in Harajuku. It is open from July 15 to August 25, Tuesday through Sunday from 13:00 to 18:00.
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