Spoon & Tamago

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Illuminating Tohoku| Rinko Kawauchi

May 24, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

Prominent Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi recently visited the Tohoku region following the devastating quake, documenting what she saw through her unique vantage point. Kawauchi is well-known for her ability to illuminate the every-day, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. The show, “Colloquy and Soliloquy,” which opens today at mountain fold gallery, represents a thematic divergence from the artists’ comfort zone. It will be interesting to see how Kawauchi interprets this very unordinary event.

from the series “Colloquy and Soliloquy” | click to enlarge

Kawauchi will be presenting her work alongside artist Taewon Jang. Sales from this show will be donated to the
non-governmental organization Peace Winds Japan. Coincidentally, Kawauchi is currently showcasing another body of work in New York. “Illuminance,” on display at Gallery Hermès through June 16th, provides the content for a new book of the same name.

from the series “Illuminance” | click to enlarge

Kawauchi first captured the spotlight in 2001 with her simultaneous release of 3 photo books – UTATANE, HANABI and HANAKO. I’ve heard her say that she derives her style from having the eyes and ears of a child. Despite living in crowded Tokyo, or perhaps the result of that very environment, Kawauchi finds herself transfixed by the small things – a patch of flowers or a snail on a rainy day. But her exquisite style should not be carelessly mistaken for insignificance. It’s the way she experiences the world around her that is of the utmost significance to us as the viewer.

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Colloquy and Soliloquy
Mountain fold gallery (55 Fifth Avenue, 18th Floor)
Rinko Kawauchi and Taewon Jang
05.24.2011 – 06.28

Illuminance
Gallery at Hermès (691 Madison Avenue)
05.20.2011 – 06.16

source: tmagazine | mountain fold | my friend masako

Lace-like Kirie by Hina Aoyama

May 24, 2011 / Maddie / 2 Comments

Hina Aoyama, born in Yokohama, Japan, now resides in Ferney Volaire, (Western) France. She creates these incredibly detailed and intricate lace like kirie (paper cutout) art work with a “simple pair of scissors.” Among the many exhibitions in both Europe and Japan, Hina’s work is on permanent display at the Museum of Miniatures Lyon France and Hotel Horloger Geneva Swiss.

Hina Aoyama is among many talented Japanese paper artists as featured before here and here, here and here, and… (last but not least) here. See the rest of Aoyama’s works displayed on the flicker photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37051688@N00/

Source: Hina Aoyama

Tiffany supports LOVE & HOPE

May 23, 2011 / Maddie / Comments Off

Singapore-born photographer Leslie Kee, who has called Japan a “second home” shooting high fashion editorials in Asia since the late 90’s, recently teamed up with Tiffany & Co. Japan to create “Love & Hope.” The photobook features 252 pages of 200 female celebrity portraits from 32 different countries; Lady GaGa, Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell, Devon Aoki to name a few. Leslie Kee’s photographs, featured in the book, can be seen prior to the book’s release in an exhibit at the Omotesando Hills Main Building, B3F Space O (4-12-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) from May 27th through the 31st. Admission is free.

The book will be released on June 1st for 5,250 yen at Leslie Kee’s exhibit in Omotesando Hills, at AOYAMA Francfranc and via Amazon.co.jp. There are two versions of the cover featuring Ayumi Hamasaki, prominent J-pop singer, with the rest of the book’s content being the same. All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross to help the disaster relief efforts in the Tohoku region of Japan.

Source: Tiffany & Co. Japan | @lesliekeesuper on Twitter

Mountain Men Action Figure Set: Marx, Mao, Lenin and Thoreau.

May 23, 2011 / Johnny / 2 Comments

What you see below are anatomically correct action figures scaled down to 1:22.5 cm. They were produced by Mountain Research in collaboration with GELCHOP, a design-duo who have made a name for themselves by bringing adult-level quality to childish ideas. And who better to remove this subject matter from their respective historical context than children? I love the idea of handing these toys over to a group of kids who are free of all preconceived notions associated with these figures.

Adorned in and equipped with the most recent collection, a product lineup entitled “little summer camp,” you have Karl Marx – arms crossed – pondering his current predicament. Then there is Chairman Mao who hasn’t even begun hiking but already trying to hitchhike. Lenin has his walking stick and is ready to go. Leading them all into the forest is perhaps the only person who could arguably belong in the setting, Thoreau.

I’m going to geek-out a bit here but Mountain Research is owned by Setsumasa Kobayashi, whose weekend getaway we profiled on the site back in 2009. Their out-doorsy cabin is actually the site where they test a lot of their camping gear and other products they sell. Which makes me wonder if this is where the crazy action figure set was conceived. Dwell recently paid them a visit and you can see more pictures of the awesome cabin there as well.

Source: colossal | mountain research

Nest by UID Architects

May 20, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

photos by Hiroshi Ueda | click to enlarge

The Hiroshima-based UID Architects recently shared with us some of their recent projects. One of the more striking homes I have seen recently is Nest, a single-family residence in Onomichi City, constructed at the foot of a mountain. If you’ll recall some of their older projects we’ve showcased, such as this rad dentist office, you’ll know that the architects have a penchant for bringing the outdoors, in. And I mean that in a literal sense.

Aptly titled “Nest,” the home – in its interconnectedness and open layout – projects a maternal presence upon its inhabitants, whom happen to be 3 very close women; a mother and her two daughters. The structure, completed late last year, consists of a small entrance on the ground, that expands outward into the forest. Much in the same way that a birds nest incorporates the branches that surround it, the home itself appears to have been placed right on top of a tree.

Source: UID Architects’ weblog

Beautiful Storage the Casa Brutus way

May 19, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

Last week I came across the latest Casa Brutus magazine which had the most striking staircase on its cover. I grabbed what I could find on their website, which obviously wasn’t enough to satisfy my curiosity. Luckily one of my readers in Japan, Ruth Thomas, saw my post and was kind enough to mail me a copy!

Below are some of my favorite tips they give out in the issue on space saving and storage. But I don’t want to undermine the fabulous work of the editors at Casa Brutus. If you like what you see, go out and buy the magazine (amazon jp ships overseas).

Tip #1
Use shelving to support your home

all images courtesy Casa Brutus | click to enlarge

Tip #2
Make your home a storage box

Tip #3
Decide on a place for everything

Tip #4
Use shelves to gently compartmentalize

Tip #5
Raise floors to create new sub-floor storage

Tip #6 (last but certainly not least)
Use stairs to their fullest potential. This project was implemented in a home called Azuki Saichu. It’s used to store the owner’s extensive collection of pottery.

(Ruth is the proprietor of Toringa Projects, an interior design and consulting company in Japan. And this weekend she will also become the proud owner of eunoia, a new design store in Kamakura. Congrats Ruth, and thanks!)

OpenJapan: call for entries

May 19, 2011 / Johnny / 2 Comments

click images to enlarge

Are you an architect or designer with an idea to help the affected people in Tohoku, Japan? Then get in touch with OpenSimSim, the open source architecture network based in Berlin. They are organizing an 72-hour crowd-sourced work-sprint to create a sustainable project for Japan. The sprint will kick-off on June 10 with a six-hour work session in Kyoto. The results will then be passed on to 11 cities worldwide, by order of timezone.

If you are interested, or want to learn more, head to their blog. I think it’s an amazing idea! Sort of like a contemporary, architectural spin on the surrealists’ exquisite corpse (except hopefully not as surreal)!

Herman Miller Aeron chair x Makoto Azuma

May 18, 2011 / Johnny / 1 Comment

Looking for a way to spruce up the office? Japanese botanic artist Makoto Azuma has collaborated with furniture designer Herman Miller to create a greenified version of his iconic Aeron chair. The chair will be on display this summer at the Herman Miller store in Marunouchi, which just opened earlier this year.

In addition to their standard line-up of products, the Marunouchi store is also know for their one-of-a-kind collaborations with Japanese designers. See more images here.

Source: Makoto Azuma blog

O Watch for Issey Miyake

May 17, 2011 / Maddie / Comments Off

“The concept is ‘Shape of Water – Transparent Time.'”
– Yoshioka Tokujin

The name “O” is derived from “eau;” French for water. Taking visual cues from his optical bench “Waterfall,” Tokujin Yoshioka designed this watch for Issey Miyake, continuing his long-lasting collaboration with his mentor. The watch should be available in July (for 16,800 yen) when there will be a special model celebrating the 10th anniversary of Issey Miyake watch project.

I would love to have this time piece!

TO is another watch designed by Tokujin for Issey Miyake.

source: SII press release

tha office designed by A-study

May 17, 2011 / Johnny / Comments Off

photos by yasushi nagai | click images to enlarge

We’ve been giving Yugo Nakamura of tha a lot of attention recently (you have to admit, he’s on a roll) so it’s only fitting that we showcase where all the magic happens. The new office was completed late last year under the direction of Yoshihiro Saitoh of A-study. It’s odd because I always imagined their offices would be characterized by sleek white walls, stainless steel chairs and the occasional pop of bright color prints on the wall. So you can imagine my surprise when I first came across these images.

But as I looked closer, it began to make more sense. The massive walls began to remind me of towering databases processing information in the background. Much like the way our computer screens hide the seemingly infinitesimal data and code that is the web, the vast walls of the office contain virtually hidden doors that open into separate meeting rooms. Everything from the all-natural wooden tables and chairs are simple but contain memorable details. It’s actually a very nice space for the tech-savvy folk at tha.

All the furniture was custom-designed to fit the space, which includes a gallery space for digital art. I love those chairs!!