I’ve been looking around for business cards and this one certainly struck a chord with me. Graphic designer Ken Miki created this 3D business card based on his precise coordinates on planet earth: latitude 34° 41’ 23” and longitude 135° 30’ 44”. The card starts off as a 2D piece of paper but then easily folds together to become a 3D cubic model of the world. It’s a subtle way of kicking off the conversation. Nice!
click to enlarge
Source: Ken Miki’s website
photos by matsubacyoku | click to enlarge
What a great campaign for rice, the quintessential staple of the Japanese diet. With over a 100-year history, the Tokyo-based rice merchant Sumidaya recently underwent a major facelift with art direction courtesy of Eding:Post. The minimal design manages to capture the essence of rice, a symbol of purity, that also plays a major (yet subdued) role on the dining table.
One important characteristic of Sumidaya rice is that each year, depending on the type of crop that is produced, a specific blend is created that best emphasizes the distinct tones of the rice that was harvested. The new rice goes on sale March 2012.
Just looking at these images makes me hungry! Check out our other stories on Eding:Post
Source: Eding:Post
This absurdly fantastic shot by photographer Yumiko Utsu is a great way to start the new year! And from the looks of it, 2012 is going to be a bright year for the eccentric artist who’s known for her kitschy use of food photography, combined with portraiture of humans and animals. With a book deal and several solo shows – both domestic and abroad – already behind her, she’ll be showing at Saatchi Gallery during 2012.
Here’s a look at some of her past work to get a sense of what we might expect from the show:
“Ricky” | hercules beetle larva and coral
“Mold Dive” (2008) | toy bear and molded tea
“Cat Food Mandala” (2005)
“Shirako Baby” (2005) | fyi – Shirako is basically fish sperm
Source: Saatchi Gallery
As part of her exhibition “Look Now, See Forever,” showing at The Queensland Art Gallery (Australia) through March 11, 2012, Yayoi Kusama has created an installation titled The Obliteration Room. After creating what was essentially a blank canvas of white chairs, tables and sofa, the eccentric artist invited children visiting the museum to collaborate with her by giving them thousands of colored dot stickers and granting them artistic freedom to do what they like with them. The results are, well, pretty obliterating.
photos courtesy GOMA, HeyBubbles, Stupie
Source: Colossal
It’s not often that a country and everyone connected to it is tested the way Japan was this year. My family and my wife’s family are doing fine in Tokyo and I wanted to thank everyone who sent along words of thoughtfulness and kindness. Also a big thank you to everyone who read our articles pertaining to the earthquake and tsunami, which made up about 20% of all our writing this year. If you’d like to, you can read them all here.
I’m planning a few changes to the site early in the new year – nothing huge, don’t worry! – that will hopefully enhance your experience. I’m really excited about it and I hope you’ll continue to come back to read, learn and be inspired by all the great arts coming out of Japan. Thanks again and have a great New Year! Now here are the top 5 posts of 2011:
Readers loved artist Yutaka Sone’s Manhattan sculpture painstakingly carved out of marble and weighing in at 2.5 tones. It consists of excruciating detail that was replicated using photographs, Google Earth and several helicopter rides over the city. It was on display at the David Zwirner gallery in New York during September.
Inspired by the Supermoon – the lunar occurrence on March 19th in which the moon appeared 14% bigger and 30% brighter – Nosigner created this topographically-accurate LED lamp. The project was also in response to the collective force of hope that the Supermoon instilled in the people of Japan who had, just over a week ago, lost 16,000 people in a devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Back in April floral artist Makoto Azuma created a series of stunning yet somewhat disturbing pieces comprised of flowers stuffed into glass bottles like sardines and then filled with water. The flowers, which are shockingly beautiful but also clearly dead, invoke images of laboratory experiments in which body parts are preserved in some sort of embalming fluid. The existential project seeked to isolate beauty in both life and death.
A Spoon & Tamago exclusive! We broke the news that TOTO was developing a toilet bike that would run on biogas and travel Japan. And because we all love potty stories, the news went viral, getting picked up by Gizmodo, Huffpo, Reuters and more…
Two silicon cups produce these unique ice cubes that depict a polar bear and 2 penguins standing on a glacier. Once in your drink, they gradually melt away, mimicking a real-life scenario that many arctic animals are currently facing.
photos by Koichi Torimura | click to enlarge
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Even if you only have a 13.5-tsubo (480 sq ft) plot of land to work with, if you are creative you can legally achieve up to 19-tsubo (675 sq ft) of living space, says Sanpei Junichi, architect of House Tokyo. The white, abstract structure was completed in earlier this year and was inspired by an analytical reading of Tokyo – her streets and the relative relationship between the people who use them.
The façade is coated with a thin layer of insulation and all the openings feature a perforated metal blindfold. The intention was not to create a break between interior and exterior but rather to increase the sense of openness from within. The abstract, white exterior contrasts nicely with the exposed concrete of the interior. It’s as if conventional urban landscape was reversed.
I love the concrete table that protrudes out of the wall.
Source: Sanpei Junichi’s website
images courtesy YKDW | click to enlarge
It’s bustling but don’t call it a restaurant. It’s comforting but don’t call it a café. Located in Yokohama, Sakae is a restaurant that was engineered and designed around human interaction an experience. The space, which was designed by Kentaro Yamazaki (YKDW), features a single communal dining table situated right next to the kitchen.
With an emphasis on local, organic ingredients, Sakae offers what they like to call, “something different.” Whether it’s a new appreciation, a new point of view or a new discovery, the space is intended to mix a new ingredient into you daily routine, whether you like it or not.
I’ve always found communal tables idealistic in nature but rather awkward when executed. I can’t say I’m a particular fan of the concept but the elegant and minimal space is tempting me to give it another shot.
The herbs and flowers that appear to sprout out of the table are the work of botanic artist Makoto Azuma and total artistic direction for the space was done by Yu Shigematsu. Although there are events and activities going on during the day, the space as a restaurant usually only functions during the evening. Check out their website to make reservations or plan a visit.
Source: YKDW website
Photos by Daici Ano / Torafu Architects | click to enlarge
Last month architecture duo Torafu Architects (Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro) completed a PR Room in Tokyo for the global sports brand Nike. Comprised of 3 different spaces – entrance, initiative and stock space – the architects utilized aluminum fins with interchangeable graphics in order to create an flexible environment where display walls coexist with large graphic branding.
Such great attention to detail: the sneaker sole pattern carved into the flooring. Check out all our stories on Torafu.
Source: Torafu’s website
Yanagi Sori | 1915 – 2011
Iconic Japanese industrial designer Sori Yanagi (柳宗理) passed away on December 25, 2011 at a hospital in Tokyo due to pneumonia-related complications. He was 96 years old.
here is a clip from a 2007 retrospective of his work that took place at the the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. The clip features a large chunk of Yanagi’s work, as well as an appearance from the designer himself, who was 91 at the time. There’s even a cameo by Naoto Fukasawa.
Sori Yanagi was known for his unique forms, which brought simplicity and unexpected practicality into everyday homes through his industrial designs in everything from kitchenware and furniture to toys and even bridges. Yanagi never lost sight of aesthetic and artistic ideals. Yet his work was functional and practical, demonstrated by usage in the the everyday household day-in and day-out.
Butterfly Stool | 1954
After winning both 1st and 2nd place in the first Japan Industrial Design Contest in 1952 Sori Yanagi established his own design studio. In 1957 he was invited to participate in the 11th Milan Triennial where his “Butterfly Stool” won the golden prize. In 1980 he became the first designer to hold an exhibition at the prestigious Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Milan, Italy. Yanagi helped open doors as an international artist and paved the way for future designers to display their work abroad.
Elephant Stool | 1954
Bentwood stacking chairs | 1967
Kopf Can Opener | 1970
Stainless Kettle | 1998
Dining Table and Chairs | 1998
Yanagi Flatware | 2002
Sori Yanagi was included in our 2008 primer on Japanese designers.
Source: @HirokoTabuchi
The title pretty much says it all. Here are my favorite Japanese residential homes of 2011 that, for one reason or another, did not make it to the blog. They’re in no particular order. Enjoy!
designed by Kazuyo Sejima
Designed by Shinichi Ogawa
Designed by Mamm-Design
Designed by Ikimono Architects
Designed by Takeshi Hosoka
Designed by Keiji Ashizawa
