From 26th August to 23rd November 2010, Didier Fiúza Faustino will present ‘Agnosian Fields’ at Le Forum de la Maison Hermès in Tokyo. The exhibition comprising two new installations as well as previous work indicates the different scales and obsessions that the work of an architect is based upon. The term ‘agnosia’ – the loss of the ability to recognise objects and perceptive amnesia – sums up the state in which the architect wishes the visitor to be immersed. His work, mainly based on putting the body under tension in its environment, leads him to explore the fields of architecture and contemporary art, assuming equally status as artist, designer and architect.

Following the itinerant video projection space ‘H-Box,’ the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, which provides the Forum’s programming, has again invited Didier Fiúza Faustino for an individual exhibition. The Japanese public will be able to discover the immersive micro architecture installation, ‘Erase your Head’ (photo below), for which the English artist Russell Haswell has designed a sound landscape. A second installation produced in partnership with Hiroya Oku, author of the Japanese manga Gantz, will appropriate the piece called ‘Hand Architecture.’

The installation will be completed by the ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ discussion room, whilst three pieces will trace other paths between the body and architecture: the model of an unusual Japanese house, ‘Uncut House,’ ‘The Naked Lunch,’ a confusing object which penetrates domestic space and lastly the new seated prototype of ‘Hermaphrodite,’ which puts its user in an ambiguous position (photo above).

Maison Hermès 8F Le Forum, 5-4-1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Monday to Saturday: 11am to 8pm, Sunday: 11am to 7pm.

We recently reported about the Snow exhibition by Tokujin Yoshioka at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. Here’s a first picture from the installation. The scenery of hundreds kilograms of light feather blown all over and falling down slowly will call for the memory of the snowscape within people’s heart, and it will transcends their sense.

Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka is going to present an installation called “Snow” at the “Sensing Nature” exhibition, which will be held at the Mori Art Museum from July 24th.

In a huge space of 15m in width, fine feathers are blown up by the wind and shower down as if real snow does. It reminds us of the snowscape that lies in our memory, and will express the beauty of nature that exceeds our imaginations. The “Snow” installation is completed by reconstructing the work previously designed in 1997.

Kristina Dryza has been at the Monocle store opening in Tokyo. Here is her report in pictures. Hot off the press.

This is a new post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

From manga to anime to music, Japanese soft power, also known as “Cool Japan,” has captured the world’s attention. In the fashion world as well, the profound creativity of Japanese products has great potential on the international market. As a way of broadcasting Japanese fashion culture to the rest of the world, the government supports the Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo (JFW). Now in addition, tokyoeye has been established to further strengthen Japanese fashion businesses in the world’s fashion capitals.

tokyoeye is a project for supporting Japanese fashion brands in their expansion outside Japan. Taking “Cool Japan” and filtering it through a Tokyo perspective, several fresh, modern Japanese fashion brands have been selected for exhibition in either Paris or Shanghai. In cooperation with local showrooms and press, they will have the opportunity to appeal directly to buyers, press, and consumers.

The goal is to support brands with potential that are planning to extend their business overseas.

Together with a showroom in Paris and industry press, creators will have the opportunity to show their collections directly to professional buyers, to the public and to the press. Several brands already successful in Japan have been chosen by the selection committee.

Two commercial events are scheduled : the “corner” of Colette from February 15th to 27th, 2010 and TRANOÏ SHOWROOM from March 4th to 11th, 2010.

In fact, all that is there is merely a doorknob, meant only for opening the door.

However, despite having no lock, this door is not without security features.

How can this be? It is just that stereotypes have driven design such that we associate “security” with having a lock.Perhaps it was just our childhood selves that think doors can open easily.

Rather than the stereotypical door, we have designed a door where a physical lock is unnecessary by changing the stereotypical image of the door.

The only way to forcibly enter is to destroy the door.

That is our “lock.” And with this new “lock,” a new door is designed.

The food and drinks served at a party are as important as the party itself. For opening parties, say to launch an exhibition, even more so. It’s integral. But few event producers think in this integrated way. The food and drinks on offer should be a reflection of the essence of the exhibition. What guests put in their mouth is an equally valid creative expression of art – only temporary!

So to celebrate the recent lighting of the Parco Christmas tree and corresponding Motion + Design + Magic exhibition by renowned visual artist Masaru Ozaki, everything was themed to a T (well, a cube actually!).

To celebrate its 40th anniversary Parco, a Japanese department store, commissioned Ozaki to create a magical graphic wonderland. The high-tech display uses advanced technology to project 3D images onto 3 metre tall tree installations in the entrance court of Shibuya Parco Part 1. These giant cubes stacked into a Christmas tree shape with projections beamed on every surface create a wonderful visual feast.

For Food Creation, the company who created the food art for the event, not only is the appearance and taste of food crucial, so is the situation in which it’s eaten. What’s important is making the food come alive – delivering the concept to the stomach.

To express the conceptual catering, the Bread, Espresso & bakery invented three new cubed food products for the launch: chocolate bread with black pepper, tomato bread with squid ink and pink bread with curry. These creations were about ‘expecting the unexpected’ and for guests to be surprised and astounded by bread, a much maligned, taken for granted, daily staple of life.

The shoeless waiters dressed head to toe in black leotards with bow ties – their faces covered in masks – moved around the floor in slow, highly choreographed steps. As the lid was pulled off the serving tray, vapours evaporated around the cubed bread, which was delicately placed around lighted cubes. The waiters were as much motion, design and magic as Oazki’s visual creations.

Oazki’s most famous works involve projecting real-time visuals onto buildings, furniture and objects using the original quarter Cube visioning system. The technology involves the precise scanning of 3D objects and projecting these visuals onto 3D surfaces using optical illusions to give various effects. The artist has projected his work onto the Olympic stadium in Harajuku, temples in Kyoto and opening launches of international retail brand flagships. His use of projection technology truly amazes and stimulates.

To experience the Motion + Design + Magic exhibition yourself, visit Parco Factory, Shibuya Parco Part 1, 6F before 23 November 2009.

This is a new post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

Ping Intressant.se

This is the last picture report from the Tokyo Design Week 2009 by Kristina Dryza. Check the earlier ones here and here.

This is a new post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.

This is a new post by David Report contributor Kristina Dryza.